Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica: General Rules

...I have attached them to the various primary entries. However, among those entries, there are cases where the roots and leaves are recorded while the flowers are conversely discarded; or, cases where only the name of the flower is entered without any mention of its medicinal properties original: "zhuzhi" (主治), referring to the specific ailments a substance is used to treat.. For this reason, I have established a separate Flower Section. Where stems or twigs provide supplementary medicinal value, they are also attached at the end of the entry—for example, Plum Twigs are attached to Plum Blossoms, and other items follow this logic.

一 In the Compendium The "Bencao Gangmu" by Li Shizhen., there are items that only list a name but no medicinal properties. Substances such as Plum Blossoms and Ambergris original: "Longxian" (龍涎), literally "Dragon's Saliva," a substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. have all been verified through research and added here. For those items where the investigation is not yet detailed, I plan to eventually compile a Materia Medica for Future Use original: "Daiyong Bencao" (待用本草).. This will combine substances within the universe that can be used as medicine but have not yet been collected by predecessors into a separate volume, to await the extensive inquiries of future gentlemen.

一 In the Compendium, there are instances where entries are mistakenly separated and others where they are mistakenly merged. For example, in the "Herbs" section, there is already a specific entry for Dayflower Yazhicao (鴨跖草): A common plant with blue flowers used to clear heat and detoxify.. Why, then, is Earring Grass Erhuan cao (耳環草) listed again under the "Miscellaneous Weeds" category? Could it be because it possesses the Blue Cicada Flower Bichan'er hua (碧蟬兒花): A poetic name for the blossom of the Dayflower....