Stone and Herb Category

Herb Section Ten

Moss Category

A woodcut illustration depicts a landscape of mountain herbs, illustrating the natural habitat for medicinal specimens included in this volume.

By Imperial Order: The Complete Library in the Four Sections

original: "欽定四庫全書". 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". 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". This category includes vines and plants that require support to grow, such as honeysuckle or various gourds.

original: "水草類". 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 compiling this work.