Bencao Gangmu 本草綱目 Materia Medica

Bencao Gangmu (本草綱目) also known as Compendium of Materia Medica is a chinese medical work written by Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty. It is a work epitomizing materia medica (本草) in Ming Dynasty. Li Shizhen is also considered to be the greatest naturalist of China, and was very interested in the proper classification of herb components. Altogether, the writing of the Bencao Gangmu took 27 years, which included three revisions. Ironically, writing the book allegedly took a considerable toll on his health. It was rumored that he stayed indoors for ten consecutive years during the writing of the Bencao Gangmu. After he had completed it, a friend “reported that Li was emaciated.”