芦沟桥事变之后。予方旅居汉口。二十七年秋。入桂林。寇祸日深。武汉又陷。欧战未
起。国步之危。甚于累卵。有数门人过桂。知予生活艰苦。问此后出处。予曰。如果国不幸
而亡。亭林船山所不敢学。我其以青主先生为归乎。其实书画无法则。医药无宗派。此言亦
欺世而已。三十二年秋。世事日有转机。予早托迹中国农民银行。衣食粗给。公余之暇。乃
编此书。盖中国之医。向不专精于识病。而专重在用药。伤寒论一书所包之病多矣。而统名
之曰伤寒。及其下药。乃各不同。小儿惊风。所包之病多矣。而统名之曰急慢惊风。及其下
药。乃各不同。诸如此类。不一而足。可知识病虽未确。用药故不误也。故中国之药。中国
用药之经验。皆有可取求中国医理。舍药物之功用及用药之经验不谈。而徒泛论五行生克虚
无浮泛之理。宜乎中医之日以不振乎。予之辑述此书。故专主于药之功用。及处方之公式。
欲使览者知其精要所在也。青主先生地下有知。其一笑乎。
癸未冬海宁张宗祥记。
一本草以纲目为最备。然李濒湖先生距今四百年。药品已日增多。产地亦有更改。如术
之推于潜野生。李氏所未详。今则于术亦不可必得。且乞灵于湖广珠矣。此因时代之变迁。
药品功用。因以不同。不可不知者也。
一纲目所收丸散之方过略。予意非历举药方。不足以证是药功用。如以麝香配天麻则去
风痰。配雄黄则治疔肿。可知用麝之意。专取迅速。而根本治病。尚须他药。若即归功麝香。
未
一中药功用皆由经验得来。处方如何。可求公式。如黄连之治痢疾。更重则加黄柏。此
中可得二药杀菌之理。然中医处方。决不单纯。既攻其病。兼强其本。故痢症必多用健胃助
脾清
一本草向定药性。温热寒凉言之綦详。予意用药专在功效。性之寒温。无关于病。使果
泥于寒温之说。大黄附子。何
一药味甘苦。向亦详载其实于病亦无关涉。甘果和中。则熟地有时碍胃。苦如下降。则
羌活岂能祛头面之风。故药味亦略而不载。
一痘症自牛痘盛行之后。穷乡僻壤。尽能施种。昔为儿科重症。今则可以不谈。故痘症
诸方。悉皆从略。
一为医不知各药功用。徒读古书。误人不浅。虽知药之功用。不明处方公式。亦难临诊。
故
一医家治病。重在证候。证现何状。即须注意。如果虚极。无论为疔肿为痢疾。为痧疹。
为
一本书之意。在使读者有途辙可循。识药功用。主其分量。自当临时斟酌不可泥于古书。
一石部及诸动物。所收独少者。矿物抽提不精。恐含杂质。动物多杀生命。可不用者。
即为省去。故独简略。
一古方中多用 咀。今虽仍用其名。不必定泥其法。
海宁张宗祥辑述
芦沟桥事变之后，我正旅居汉口。二十七年（1938年）秋天，我进入桂林。日寇的祸患日益加深，武汉又沦陷了。欧洲战争尚未爆发，国家局势的危险程度，比叠起的鸡蛋还要危险（形容极度危险）。有几个门生经过桂林，知道我的生活艰苦，问我以后的打算。我说：“如果国家不幸灭亡，亭林（顾炎武）、船山（王夫之）所不敢效仿的（指殉国或激烈抗争），我将以青主（朱耷/八大山人）先生为归宿（指隐居避世、寄情书画）。”其实书画没有固定的法则，医药也没有宗派，这话也是欺世盗名罢了。三十二年（1943年）秋天，世事每天都有转机。我早先托身于中国农民银行，衣食基本供给充足。在公务之余的闲暇时间，于是编写了这本书。大概中国的医生，向来不专精于识别疾病，而专门重在用药。《伤寒论》一书所包含的疾病很多，却统称为“伤寒”，等到具体下药时，却又各不相同。“小儿惊风”所包含的疾病也很多，却统称为急慢惊风，等到具体下药时，却又各不相同。诸如此类，数不胜数。可以看出，虽然对疾病的识别未必确切，但用药却未曾出错。所以中国的药物，以及中国人用药的经验，都是有可取之处的。如果要探究中医医理，抛开药物的功用及用药的经验不谈，而只是空泛地谈论五行生克虚无浮泛的道理，难怪中医日渐不振呢。我编纂这部书，所以专门主张于药物的功用，以及处方的公式（配伍规律），想要使阅读的人知道其精要所在。如果青主先生在地下有知，或许会一笑吧。
癸未年（1943年）冬天，海宁张宗祥记。
一、本草著作中以《本草纲目》最为完备。然而李濒湖先生（李时珍）距今已有四百年，药品种类已日益增多，产地也有更改。例如术（苍术/白术）推重于潜野生，这是李氏书中所未详细记载的，如今连于术（产于浙江于潜的白术）也未必能一定得到，况且还要求助于来自湖广地区的珠（可能指某种特定产地的药材或误植，此处依原文保留，意指依赖外地输入）。这是因为时代的变迁，药品的功用因此有所不同，这是不可不知道的。
二、《本草纲目》所收录的丸散方剂过于简略。我的想法是，如果不历举药方，就不足以证明这种药物的功用。例如用麝香配合天麻，则可以去除风痰；配合雄黄，则可以治疗疔肿。由此可知，使用麝香的意图，是专门取其药效迅速，而从根本上治病，还需要其他药物。如果就把功劳全归于麝香，那是不对的。
三、中药的功用都是由经验得来的，处方如何，可以寻求公式（规律）。例如黄连治疗痢疾，病情更重则加入黄柏，这其中可以得到两药杀菌的原理。然而中医的处方，决不会单纯，既要攻伐病邪，又要兼补其本虚。所以治疗痢症，必定多用健胃助脾清热的药物。
四、本草书籍向来定论药性，温热寒凉说得非常详尽。我的想法是，用药专门在于功效，药性的寒温，与治病并无直接关系。如果果然拘泥于寒温的说法，那么大黄和附子，为何能同时使用呢？
五、药味甘苦，向来也详细记载，但实际上对于治病并无关联。甘味果真是调和中焦，那么熟地黄有时反而会碍胃；苦味果真是下行的，那么羌活怎么能祛除头面部的风邪呢？所以药味也略去不载。
六、痘症（天花）自从牛痘盛行之后，穷乡僻壤都能施行接种。过去是儿科的重症，现在则可以不必多谈了。所以关于痘症的各方，全都从略。
七、作为医生，不知道各药的功用，只是徒然读古书，误人不浅。即使知道了药的功用，不明白处方的公式，也难以进行临床诊断。所以……（原文此处似有缺漏，意为需二者兼备）
八、医家治病，重在证候。证候呈现什么状态，就必须注意。如果是极度虚弱，无论表现为疔肿、痢疾、痧疹……（原文此处似有缺漏，意为均需考虑扶正）
九、本书的意思，是使读者有途径可循。认识药物的功用，掌握其分量，自然应当临时斟酌，不可拘泥于古书。
十、石部（矿物药）及各类动物药，收录特别少的原因：矿物提取不精细，恐怕含有杂质；动物药多涉及杀生，如果可以不用，就省去。所以这部分特别简略。
十一、古方中多用“咀”（咀嚼或捣碎成粗末），如今虽然仍用其名，不必一定拘泥于这种方法。
海宁张宗祥辑述
After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, I was residing in Hankou. In the autumn of the 27th year (1938), I entered Guilin. The disaster caused by the Japanese invaders deepened day by day, and Wuhan fell again. With the European War yet to commence, the peril facing the nation was more precarious than a stack of eggs. Several disciples passed through Guilin, aware of my arduous living conditions, and asked about my future plans. I replied, "If the nation were unfortunately to perish, I would not emulate Tinglin (Gu Yanwu) or Chuanshan (Wang Fuzhi). Instead, I would take Mr. Qingzhu (Zhu Da/Badashanren) as my guide." In truth, calligraphy and painting have no fixed rules, nor does medicine have sectarian schools; such statements are merely for show. By the autumn of the 32nd year (1943), worldly affairs showed signs of turning for the better. Having earlier secured a position at the Chinese Farmers Bank, my basic needs for food and clothing were met. In my spare time from official duties, I compiled this book. Generally, Chinese physicians have traditionally focused less on specializing in disease identification and more on the application of medicines. The *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders) encompasses numerous diseases, yet collectively names them all "Shanghan" (Cold Damage); however, when prescribing medications, they differ significantly. "Pediatric Convulsion" (Xiao'er Jingfeng) also covers many diseases, collectively termed acute or chronic convulsions, yet the prescribed medications vary accordingly. Such examples are countless. It can be seen that although disease identification may not always be precise, medication application is generally correct. Therefore, Chinese materia medica and the empirical experience of Chinese medicinal usage are worthy of study. If one seeks to understand Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory while ignoring the functions of herbs and empirical usage experiences, instead merely discussing abstract theories of Five Elements generation and restriction, it is no wonder that TCM has declined. Thus, my compilation of this book focuses specifically on the functions of herbs and the formulas (prescription patterns) used, aiming to enable readers to grasp their essentials. If Mr. Qingzhu were alive to know this, he might smile.
Recorded by Zhang Zongxiang of Haining in the winter of the Guiwei year (1943).
1. Among herbal texts, *Bencao Gangmu* (Compendium of Materia Medica) is the most comprehensive. However, Mr. Li Binhu (Li Shizhen) lived four hundred years ago. Since then, the number of medicinal substances has increased daily, and their origins have changed. For instance, *Atractylodis Rhizoma* (Cangzhu/Bai Zhu) was prized for its wild varieties from Qian, a detail Li did not fully elaborate; today, even *Bai Zhu* produced in Yuqian cannot be guaranteed, forcing reliance on supplies from Huguang. This demonstrates that due to temporal changes, the efficacy of medicinal substances varies, a fact that must be known.
2. The pills and powders recorded in *Bencao Gangmu* are too sparse. My view is that without listing specific prescriptions, one cannot prove the efficacy of a drug. For example, combining *Moschus* (Shexiang) with *Gastrodiae Rhizoma* (Tianma) removes wind-phlegm; combining it with *Realgar* (Xionghuang) treats carbuncles. This shows that the intent of using *Moschus* is solely to exploit its rapid action, whereas treating the root cause requires other herbs. Attributing the entire therapeutic credit to *Moschus* alone is incorrect.
3. The efficacy of Chinese herbs is derived from experience, and prescription methods follow certain formulas. For instance, *Coptidis Rhizoma* (Huanglian) treats dysentery; if the condition is severe, *Phellodendri Cortex* (Huangbai) is added. From this, one can deduce the bactericidal principles of these two herbs. However, TCM prescriptions are never singular; they attack the pathogen while simultaneously strengthening the body's root. Therefore, treating dysentery invariably involves using herbs that strengthen the stomach, assist the spleen, and clear heat.
4. Herbal texts traditionally define herb properties, detailing hot, warm, cold, and cool natures extensively. My view is that medication relies specifically on efficacy; the thermal nature of an herb is not directly related to curing the disease. If one strictly adheres to the theory of thermal natures, how can *Rhei Radix et Rhizoma* (Dahuang) and *Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata* (Fuzi) be used together?
5. The sweet and bitter tastes of herbs are traditionally recorded in detail, but they are actually irrelevant to treating diseases. If sweetness truly harmonizes the middle jiao, then *Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata* (Shudihuang) would sometimes obstruct the stomach; if bitterness truly descends, then *Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix* (Qianghuo) could not dispel wind from the head and face. Therefore, herb tastes are omitted.
6. After the prevalence of cowpox vaccination, even remote villages could administer inoculation. What was once a severe pediatric disease can now be largely disregarded. Consequently, prescriptions for smallpox are omitted.
7. A physician who does not know the functions of various herbs but merely reads ancient books causes significant harm. Even if one knows the functions of herbs, without understanding prescription formulas, clinical diagnosis remains difficult. Therefore... [text fragment]
8. Physicians focus on syndrome differentiation. One must pay attention to the manifestation of syndromes. If deficiency is extreme, regardless of whether it presents as carbuncle, dysentery, or measles... [text fragment]
9. The purpose of this book is to provide readers with a clear path. Understanding herb functions and mastering dosages allows for flexible adjustment during practice; one should not rigidly adhere to ancient texts.
10. Mineral drugs and animal-derived substances are included sparingly. Minerals may contain impurities if extraction is imprecise; animal drugs involve killing life and can be avoided where possible. Hence, this section is particularly concise.
11. Ancient prescriptions often used the term "ju" (chewing or crushing into coarse powder). Although the term is still used today, there is no need to strictly adhere to this method.
Compiled and written by Zhang Zongxiang of Haining.