Illustrations of the Compendium of Materia Medica

By Imperial Order: The Complete Library in the Four Sections

original: "欽定四庫全書" (Qinding Siku Quanshu). This marks the book as part of the massive 18th-century project commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor to preserve and categorize all significant Chinese literature.

Illustrations of the Compendium of Materia Medica: Middle Volume, Part One

original: "本草綱目圖卷中之上" (Bencao Gangmu Tu, Juan Zhong Zhi Shang). This volume contains the visual guides for identifying medicinal plants.

A large, faint square imperial seal is visible in the background: "Treasure for the Qianlong Emperor’s Inspection" (original: "乾隆御覽之寶"). This seal signifies that this specific manuscript was held in the imperial collection and personally reviewed by the Emperor.

The Compendium is organized into "sections" (bu). Section Seven begins the detailed study of plants, categorized by their growth habits.

original: "蔓草類" (mancao lei). This category includes vines and plants that require support to grow, such as honeysuckle or various gourds.

original: "水草類" (shuicao lei). This section covers medicinal plants that grow in or on the water, such as lotus or duckweed.

Li Shizhen (1518–1593) was one of the greatest physicians and naturalists in Chinese history. He spent nearly 30 years researching and writing this masterpiece, which remained the definitive medical text in East Asia for centuries.