凡生养补救之术。率肇端隆古。而历代圣哲以渐修明。如炎帝味百草。轩皇究息脉。流
传旧
矣。然无确据。今素问。子程子谓出周秦之际。盖非诬矣。尝草遇毒。本淮南子。王安道亦
尝着论非之。旧有本草经三卷。自弘景以下各增益。宋马志等合并。凡属最初。白字别之。
吾家升庵好奇。谓白字本草。乃神农之旧也。或谓上世未立文本。但师学相承。谓之本草。
汉季张机华佗辈。始附以新说。由是见于经录。此为近是。盖虽简古可喜。而多过其实。又
好言神仙不老。固汉魏人习气然也。历宋元明。编纂益众。嘉隆间。楚人濒湖李时珍。撰纲
目五十二卷。载药千八百七十一种。时称大备。愿读者难之。多约略撷采。各为小帙。然毛
肤略具而义蕴缺如。今姚先生学易草庐本。则更贵精而不贵多。于诸品。准时定位。分五行
以配脏腑。药与疾相应之。故源委莫不了焉。其阐义。若金在熔。其立言。如珠就贯。易
奇
而法。所由来矣。于斯道。信精义入神者。朝议。医必先明理。明理在于读书。殆是之谓矣
。其及门悦田王君。偶过吾六。尊闻行知。汤液所投。应如影响。远斋公子。与之游而善之
。谓是书虽便诵习。然传抄难免脱误。慨付开雕。公诸寓内。洵不朽盛事也。仆前者借观。
随考证数条。略及音训。今并附载。庶便初学。他日先生见之。当复一莞然。谓是犹剂之有
佐使也夫。古六城南种竹人杨友敬希洛氏题时午月望日也。
凡是关于生命养护、补救的方法，大多起源于远古时代。历代圣贤通过逐渐的修习而使其日益明晰。例如炎帝品尝百草以辨药性，轩辕黄帝探究呼吸与脉象的关系，这些记载流传已久。然而缺乏确凿的依据。现在《素问》一书，程子认为它出自周秦之际，这大概并非虚妄之辞。我曾遇到中毒的情况，（此事）本于《淮南子》，王安道也曾著文批评这种说法。旧有的《本草经》共三卷，从陶弘景以下各代都有增益补充。宋代马志等人将其合并整理，凡是最初的内容，用白字（区别于后世添加的黑字）来标示。我家升庵先生喜好新奇，认为白字标注的本草，乃是神农时代的旧本。有人说是上古时代尚未建立文本，只是师徒口耳相传，所以称为“本草”。到了汉代末年，张机、华佗等人，才开始附上新的学说，于是这些内容见于经典目录。这种说法比较接近事实。虽然文字简古可喜，但多有夸大失实之处，又喜欢谈论神仙不老之术，这固然是汉魏时期人的习气使然。历经宋、元、明三代，编纂者越来越多。嘉靖、隆庆年间，楚地人李时珍撰写了《本草纲目》五十二卷，记载药物一千八百七十一味，当时被称为非常完备。希望读者对此持审慎态度，因为多数书籍只是粗略采摘，各自成为小册子，虽然皮毛大致具备，但义理内涵却缺失。如今姚学易先生的《草庐本草》，则更加重视精粹而不追求数量。对于各种药物，按时令节气确定位置，分五行以配属脏腑，使药物与疾病相互对应，因此药物的源流委曲没有不明了的。其阐发义理，如同金属在熔炉中提炼般纯粹；其立论言辞，如同珍珠串成项链般连贯。变化奇特而法度严谨，由来已久了。对于这门学问，确实是精微义理达到出神入化境界的人才能掌握。朝廷议论说，医生必须先明白医理，明白医理在于读书，大概说的就是这种情况。他的学生悦田王君，偶然经过我的住所，尊奉听闻并付诸行动，汤液药剂的使用，反应灵敏如影随形。远斋公子与他交往并赞赏他，认为这本书虽然便于诵读学习，但传抄难免有脱漏错误，于是慷慨出资刻印雕版，向天下公布，这确实是不朽的盛事啊。我先前借来观看，随即考证了几条内容，略涉及音韵训诂，现在一并附载于此，以便初学者参考。日后姚先生看到这些，应当会微微一笑，说这就像是方剂中有佐使药一样（起到辅助作用）。古六城南种竹人杨友敬希洛氏题写，时在午月望日。
The arts of nurturing life and providing remedies generally originated in ancient times. Sages and worthies of successive dynasties gradually clarified them through gradual cultivation. For instance, Yan Di (Flame Emperor) tasted a hundred herbs to distinguish their properties, and Xuanyuan Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) investigated respiration and pulse diagnosis; these records have been transmitted for a long time. However, they lack solid evidence. Regarding the *Suwen* (Basic Questions), Master Cheng believed it was produced during the Zhou and Qin periods, which is likely not false. I once encountered poisoning (a reference to legends about Shennong tasting herbs), originally recorded in *Huainanzi*; Wang Andao also wrote an essay refuting this. The old *Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) consisted of three volumes. From Tao Hongjing onwards, each generation added supplements. In the Song Dynasty, Ma Zhi and others merged them. The earliest contents were marked with white characters (to distinguish from later additions). My ancestor Yang Shen (style name Shengan), who had a taste for the novel, claimed that the Bencao marked with white characters was the original text from Shennong's era. Others argued that in high antiquity, there were no written texts, but knowledge was passed down orally among teachers and students, hence called "Bencao" (Herbal Classics). It was not until the late Han Dynasty that figures like Zhang Ji (Zhang Zhongjing) and Hua Tuo began attaching new theories, thus appearing in canonical catalogs. This view is closer to the truth. Although the language is concise and archaic, it often exaggerates and lacks reality, and frequently discusses immortality and elixirs, which was indeed the habit of people in the Han and Wei dynasties. Through the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, compilers increased. During the Jiajing and Longqing reigns, Li Shizhen from Chu compiled the *Bencao Gangmu* (Compendium of Materia Medica) in fifty-two volumes, recording 1,871 medicinal substances, which was then considered highly comprehensive. Readers should approach such works with caution, as many merely offer superficial selections, forming small booklets where basic forms are present but profound meanings are lacking. Mr. Yao Xueyi's *Caolu Bencao* (Grass Hut Materia Medica), however, values precision over quantity. For various drugs, it assigns positions according to seasonal timing and categorizes the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) to correspond with Zang-Fu organs, ensuring that drugs match diseases appropriately, thereby making the origins and developments of all substances clear. Its exposition of principles is pure like metal refined in a furnace; its statements are coherent like pearls strung together. It changes ingeniously yet adheres strictly to methodological rules, a tradition with deep roots. Regarding this discipline, it is truly those who have penetrated the subtle principles to a divine level who master it. Court discussions state that physicians must first understand medical theory, and understanding theory lies in reading books; this seems to be exactly what is meant. His student, Master Wang Yuetian, occasionally visited my residence, respecting what he heard and putting it into practice; his administration of decoctions (Tangye) yielded responses as immediate as shadows and echoes. Young Master Yuanzhai associated with him and praised him, noting that although this book facilitates recitation and study, copyist errors are inevitable. He generously funded the woodblock printing to publish it widely throughout the realm, which is indeed an immortal undertaking. I previously borrowed it for viewing and verified several items, briefly touching upon phonetics and etymology, which are now appended here for the benefit of beginners. When Mr. Yao sees this in the future, he will likely smile and say that this serves a role similar to that of assistant and guide herbs (Zuo-Shi) in a prescription. Inscribed by Yang Youjing (courtesy name Xiluo), the Bamboo Planter South of the Ancient Six Cities, on the fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month.