Compendium of Materia Medica: Volume 33 Table of Contents

Mountain Date

original: 山棗 (Shanzao). A wild variety of the common jujube or date, often smaller and more acidic, used in traditional medicine to calm the nerves and treat insomnia.

Weizhi

Both of the above are from the Original Compendium The "Original Compendium" (Gangmu) refers to the primary entries curated and categorized by Li Shizhen. The Weizhi is an obscure fruit, historically described as a wild, edible berry found in mountain valleys.

Fruits from the Spirit Bed

From the Supplements original: 拾遺 (Shiyi). This indicates the entry was sourced from Chen Zangqi’s 8th-century work, Supplement to the Materia Medica. The "Spirit Bed" refers to fruits found in ritual settings or specific wild environments described in older lore.

Various Poisonous Fruits

From the Supplements This section serves as a safety guide, cataloging fruits that are toxic to humans to prevent accidental ingestion or misuse in medicine.

The prescriptions attached to the entries above include fifteen traditional formulas and sixty-three newly added ones.
Li Shizhen meticulously tracked "Old" (jiu) prescriptions from previous dynasties versus "New" (xin) ones he collected or developed himself to show the evolution of medical knowledge.