天地以灵气生人。而以余气生物。林林总总者。遍塞两间。然生人原以救人而救物。未
闻人
待
救于物者。曰有之。则本草所列上中下之药品是也。大若水火。细若气液。贵若金玉参蓍。
贱若土石蒲薄。常者黍稷动植之类。异者驹掇腐 之微茫。坟羊陵 之秘怪。或顺用之。或
逆用之。苟得其当。回生起蹶。易于反掌。予尝读而叹曰。仁道之大也。观此思过半矣。天
地生物固无无用者。顾圣人成圣人之用。贤人成贤人之用。中下则亦仅于中下之用而已矣。
庄生曰。无用而后为大用。东坡亦言问大医王以何药。还是众工所用者。物之贵用有由来已
。是书始于炎黄。后世陶通明苏恭李 扈蒙韩保升唐慎微等。皆有刊定增附之力。然其卷帙
浩繁。学士家翻阅不能遽得其肯綮而用之。新安蒋介繁先生。名儒嗜学。间常究心医道。以
为世间仁人孝子。苟不轻视此七六。则本草应与六籍并重。于是择其要者而辑之。长公雪洲
。年少敏给。兼抱济物之志。遂刊而广之艺苑。不减司马子长胡仁仲能敬承继志。以父心为
心者也。今观此书。用意精而心良苦。君臣奇偶之制。温凉补泻之节。载之甚晰。物之为灵
昭昭也。人亦胡为 然委顿。生平怀仁辅义拯溺救焚之学。既视若膜外。而且溺情聘欲。促
修年以绵疾患。不得已则惟待救于无情之金石草木。悠悠忽忽大失天地笃生之旨。呜乎惫哉
。
卷娄居士纪映钟拜纂。
天地以灵气化生人类，而以其余气化生万物。林林总总的生物，充满了天地之间。然而，人类本应依靠自身去救人并救助万物，未曾听说有人需要依赖万物来拯救自己的。如果说有这种情况，那就是《本草》中所列的上品、中品、下品药物了。其范围之大，如同水火；其细微之处，如同气液；珍贵者如金玉、人参、蓍草；低贱者如土石、蒲草、薄荷；日常所用者如黍、稷及动植各类；奇异者如驹掇、腐等微小之物，以及坟羊、陵等神秘怪异之物。有的顺其性而用，有的逆其性而用，只要运用得当，起死回生，易如反掌。我曾读后感叹：仁道真是宏大啊，观察这些内容，便已领悟大半了。天地化生万物固然没有无用的，但圣人能成就圣人的用途，贤人能成就贤人的用途，中等和下等的人则仅能发挥中等和下等的用途罢了。庄子说：“无用而后为大用。”苏东坡也曾问大医王用什么药，回答仍是众工匠所用的普通药物。物品之所以贵重且有用，是有其由来已久的。本书始于炎黄时期，后世陶弘景、苏恭、李珣、扈蒙、韩保升、唐慎微等人，都有刊定增补的功劳。然而书籍卷帙浩繁，学士们翻阅时不能迅速抓住关键要点加以使用。新安人蒋介繁先生，是名儒且嗜好学问，时常潜心研究医道，认为世间的仁人孝子，如果不轻视这七十六种（注：此处原文“七六”可能指代某种分类或数量，结合语境理解为对本草的重视），那么《本草》应当与儒家经典六籍并重。于是挑选其中重要的内容编辑成书。长子雪洲，年少聪敏，兼怀济助万物的志向，于是刊印并推广至艺苑，不亚于司马迁、胡仁仲能继承父志，以父亲的心意为心意。如今看这本书，用意精妙而苦心良苦，君臣佐使的奇偶配伍制度，温凉补泻的节度，记载得非常清晰。物之灵性昭然若揭。人们为何还要颓废不振？生平怀着仁爱辅义、拯溺救焚的学问，却视若无睹，反而沉溺于情欲，缩短寿命而延长疾病，不得已才只能等待无情的金石草木来拯救自己，悠悠忽忽，大大失去了天地笃厚地化生人类的宗旨。唉，疲惫不堪啊！
卷娄居士纪映钟拜纂。
Heaven and Earth generate humans with their spiritual energy (Lingqi), and generate all things with their residual energy. Countless beings fill the space between Heaven and Earth. However, humans are originally meant to save others and rescue all things through their own efforts; it is unheard of for humans to wait for rescue from all things. If there were such a case, it would be the superior, middle, and inferior medicinal substances listed in Bencao (Compendium of Materia Medica). Their scope is vast, like water and fire; their subtlety is minute, like Qi and fluids; those precious include gold, jade, Renshen (Ginseng), and Shicao (Rhizoma et Radix Notoginseni); those humble include earth, stone, Pucao (Cattail pollen), and Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba); common ones include Shu (Broomcorn millet), Ji (Common millet), and various animals and plants; exotic ones include minute entities like Ju duo and Fu, as well as mysterious and strange items like Fenyang and Lingyang. Some are used according to their nature, some against their nature. If applied appropriately, reviving the dead and rescuing the fallen is as easy as turning over one's hand. I once read this and sighed: The Way of Ren (Benevolence) is truly great. Observing these contents allows one to understand more than half of it. Heaven and Earth certainly do not create useless things. Nevertheless, sages achieve the use appropriate for sages, worthies achieve the use appropriate for worthies, while those of medium or low capacity only achieve uses corresponding to their level. Zhuangzi said, "Only when considered useless can something become of great use." Su Dongpo also asked what medicine the Great Physician Wang used, and the answer was still the ordinary medicines used by craftsmen. The value and utility of things have long-standing origins. This book began in the era of Yan and Huang. Later figures such as Tao Hongjing, Su Gong, Li Xun, Hu Meng, Han Baosheng, and Tang Shenwei all contributed to its editing, revision, and supplementation. However, the volumes are numerous and extensive, making it difficult for scholars to quickly grasp the key points for practical application. Mr. Jiang Jiefan from Xin'an, a renowned scholar who loved learning, often devoted himself to the study of medicine. He believed that if benevolent and filial people in the world did not slight these [medicines], then Bencao should hold equal status with the Six Classics. Thus, he selected the essential parts and compiled them into a book. His eldest son, Xuezhou, was young, quick-witted, and possessed the ambition to benefit all things. He had the work printed and widely disseminated among literary circles, emulating Sima Qian and Hu Renzhong in faithfully continuing his father's will and heart. Now, observing this book, its intent is profound and its苦心 (painstaking effort) sincere. The system of Jun-Chen-Zuo-Shi (Sovereign-Minister-Assistant-Courier) in odd and even combinations, and the regulation of warming, cooling, tonifying, and purging methods, are recorded very clearly. The spirituality of things is manifest. Why then do people remain listless? They possess lifelong learning aimed at benevolence, righteousness, saving those drowning, and rescuing those on fire, yet they treat it as if it were outside their skin (indifferent), instead indulging in lust and desire, shortening their lifespan and prolonging their illnesses. Forced to do so, they can only wait for rescue from indifferent minerals, metals, herbs, and plants. In their leisurely negligence, they greatly lose the original intent of Heaven and Earth earnestly generating human life. Alas, how exhausted!
Compiled by Juanlou Jushi, Ji Yingzhong.