本草曰古经以下。代有增订。惟考核精详简明切要之善本。卒不可 。予友陈君蕙亭。
浙东
平湖之望族。文行藉藉。庠序间少年。因不得志于帖括。值 匪不靖。游幕雍梁。以笔墨
办军务。为当道所器重。中年后以巡宰需次吴门。与予在医局。朝夕从事。十有二年。以手
辑本草撮要两册见示。言简而明。药约而备。洵医林之捷径。后学之津梁也。倘付之手民。
公诸同好。俾习医者置之案头。便于检阅。即不习医者亦置一编。备为触寒冒雨之需。却病
摄生之助。斯功正未可量。又岂仅在医局施诊而已哉。予于陈君有浓望焉。因缀数语于简端
。
光绪十九年中秋后五日山右灵石李镜涵书
余质愚鲁。明知学医非有记性悟性。断不能洞悉精微随机应变以疗人疾。无如嗜医之心
已历
三十余年。未尝或倦。因之博采古今各大家所着方药。删繁就简。注于每药之下。某药某味
某性。入某经专治某病。与某药同用治某病。并将治某病。宜生用熟用。炙用炒用。研用独
用。以及某药与某药。相佐相恶。相畏相反。相须相杀。逐一注明。不加臆说。现值医局从
公之暇。次第录成。置之案头。以便查阅。聊资记性悟性之不足。若云借此已能洞悉精微随
机应变以疗人疾。则吾岂敢。
光绪十二年六月既望当湖陈其瑞蕙亭识
是编之辑。亦犹杨氏之钩元约。刘氏之本草述。而剃其繁芜。但初不知有钩元之刻。迨
辑成
后。始得而读之。不意拙辑竟如复剃钩元繁芜者。抑亦奇矣。目次因水火土部。未能与草木
等部一律。故附卷尾。药品比备要略增。较从新稍减。主治悉遵经旨。体裁无异钩元。以药
为经。以方为纬。撮其大要。亦可举一反三。若欲必究其全。则自有诸家书在。（蕙亭又笔）
《本草》这部书，自古代经典以来，历代都有增补修订。然而，那些考核精审、详细简明且切中要害的优秀版本，最终却难以寻觅。我的朋友陈蕙亭君，是浙江东部平湖县的望族，文章德行闻名遐迩。他曾是庠序（学校）中的少年，因在科举八股文中不得志，恰逢匪患不安定，便去雍州、梁州一带做幕僚，以笔墨功夫协助办理军务，受到当权者的器重。中年后，因巡宰候补而暂居苏州（吴门），与我同在医局工作，朝夕相处共事十二年。他用手抄辑的《本草撮要》两册拿给我看，言辞简练而明白，药物记载简约而完备，确实是医学界的捷径，后学的渡河之桥。如果将其交付刻印，公之于同好，使习医者置于案头，便于查阅；即使是不习医者，也放置一编，以备受寒冒雨时的需要，作为祛病养生的帮助。这功德正不可估量，又岂止是在医局施诊而已呢？我对陈君寄予厚望，因此在书简前端写下这几句话。
光绪十九年中秋后五日，山右灵石李镜涵书写。
我资质愚钝，深知学医如果没有记性和悟性，绝不能洞察精微、随机应变来治疗人的疾病。无奈我对医学的热爱之心已历经三十多年，未曾有过疲倦。因此广泛采集古今各位大家所著的方药，删去繁杂，保留简洁，注于每味药之下：某药是什么味道，什么性质，入哪一经，专治什么病；与哪味药同用治什么病；以及治疗什么病时，宜生用还是熟用，炙用还是炒用，研用还是单用，还有哪味药与哪味药相佐、相恶、相畏、相反、相须、相杀，逐一注明。不加主观臆断的说法。现值在医局公务之余，依次记录完成，置于案头，以便查阅，姑且弥补记性和悟性的不足。如果说借此就能洞察精微、随机应变来治疗人的疾病，那我怎么敢呢？
光绪十二年六月十六日，当湖陈其瑞蕙亭识。
本编的编纂，也如同杨氏的《钩元约》，刘氏的《本草述》，只是剔除其中的繁杂芜杂。只是起初不知道有《钩元》的刻本，等到编纂完成后，才得以读到。没想到拙劣的编纂竟然像再次剔除《钩元》中的繁杂一样，这也太奇妙了。目录因为按照水火土部分类，未能与草木等部保持一致，所以附在卷尾。药品比较完备，略作增加，较从新稍减。主治完全遵循经典旨意，体裁与《钩元》无异，以药物为经线，以方剂为纬线，撮取其中大要，也可以举一反三。如果想要彻底探究其全部，自然有其他各家书籍存在。（蕙亭又笔）
The *Bencao* (Materia Medica), since ancient classics, has seen additions and revisions in every dynasty. However, excellent editions that are rigorously examined, detailed yet concise, and pertinent to essentials have ultimately been difficult to find. My friend, Mr. Chen Huiting, is from a prominent family in Pinghu, eastern Zhejiang. His literary achievements and moral conduct are well-known. He was once a youth in the local school system but failed to succeed in the eight-legged essay examinations for the civil service. Amidst unrest caused by bandits, he went to the regions of Yong and Liang to work as a private secretary, assisting in military affairs through his writing skills, and gained the appreciation of those in power. In middle age, due to waiting for a post as an assistant magistrate, he stayed temporarily in Wumen (Suzhou). He worked with me in the medical bureau, engaging in daily activities together for twelve years. He showed me two volumes of *Bencao Cuoyao* (Essentials of Materia Medica) compiled by hand. The language is concise and clear, and the description of medicines is brief yet comprehensive. It is indeed a shortcut for practitioners and a bridge for students of medicine. If it were published and made available to enthusiasts, allowing those studying medicine to keep it on their desks for easy reference, and even allowing non-practitioners to keep a copy for use when exposed to cold or rain, serving as an aid to dispelling illness and preserving health, the merit would be immeasurable. Would it not be far more than just diagnosing patients in the medical bureau? I have high hopes for Mr. Chen, so I have written these few words at the beginning of this booklet.
Written by Li Jinghan from Shiluo, Shanxi, five days after the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 19th year of Guangxu.
My nature is dull and stupid. I know clearly that without memory and insight, one cannot thoroughly understand subtleties and adapt flexibly to treat people's diseases. However, my passion for medicine has persisted for over thirty years without any fatigue. Therefore, I have extensively collected prescriptions and medicines from various masters of ancient and modern times, deleting complexity and retaining simplicity, annotating under each herb: its taste, nature, meridian tropism, specific diseases it treats, combinations with other herbs for treating specific diseases, and whether it should be used raw or cooked, roasted or stir-fried, powdered or used alone for specific conditions. Furthermore, I have noted in detail which herbs assist each other (*Xiang Xu*), oppose each other (*Xiang E*), fear each other (*Xiang Wei*), are incompatible (*Xiang Fan*), enhance each other's efficacy (*Xiang Shi*), or neutralize toxicity (*Xiang Sha*). I have added no subjective speculation. Now, during spare time from public duties at the medical bureau, I have recorded them sequentially, placing them on my desk for easy consultation, merely to supplement my lack of memory and insight. If one claims that by this one can thoroughly understand subtleties and adapt flexibly to treat diseases, how dare I make such a claim?
Recorded by Chen Qirui (Huiting) from Danghu on the full moon day of the sixth month in the 12th year of Guangxu.
The compilation of this volume is similar to Yang's *Gouyuan Yue* and Liu's *Bencao Shu*, merely trimming the superfluous. Initially, I did not know of the existence of the *Gouyuan* edition. Only after completing the compilation did I get to read it. Unexpectedly, my clumsy compilation seems to have trimmed the superfluity of *Gouyuan* again, which is quite remarkable. The table of contents follows the classification of Water, Fire, and Earth sections, which does not align uniformly with the Wood and Grass sections, so it is attached at the end of the scroll. The list of medicines is relatively complete, slightly increased compared to brevity, and slightly reduced compared to comprehensiveness. Indications strictly follow classical principles. The format is identical to *Gouyuan*, using herbs as the warp and formulas as the weft, summarizing the essentials, allowing one to infer other cases from one example. If one wishes to investigate everything in full, there are naturally books by various masters available. (Additional note by Huiting)