''Beiji qianjin yaofang'' (), literally ''Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold for Emergencies'', is a Chinese medical text by Sun Simiao first published in 652. A sequel was published in 682.

Comprising thirty ''

juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

'' or scrolls, the text is primarily focused on medical disorders and their remedies. The introduction discusses

medical diagnosis Medical diagnosis (abbreviated Dx, Dx, or Ds) is the process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs. It is most often referred to as diagnosis with the medical context being implicit. The information r ...

and treatment, while laying out a moral code for physicians. The remaining twenty-nine ''juan'' pertain to, among other things, gynaecology; "wind-induced disorders"; diseases experienced by women and children; "disorders of the seven orifices"; disorders of '' qi''; "cold damage disorders"; "wasting thirst" and

hemorrhoid Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''he ...

s; detoxification;

acupuncture Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...

and

moxibustion Moxibustion () is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy which consists of burning dried mugwort ('' wikt:moxa'') on particular points on the body. It plays an important role in the traditional medical systems of China, Japan, Korea, Vietna ...

. Authorities cited in the text include

Bian Que Bian Que (; 407 – 310 BC) was an ancient Chinese figure traditionally said to be the earliest known Chinese physician during the Warring States period. His real name is said to be Qin Yueren (), but his medical skills were so amazing that peop ...

Hua Tuo Hua Tuo ( 140–208), courtesy name Yuanhua, was a Chinese physician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. The historical texts ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' and ''Book of the Later Han'' record Hua Tuo as the first person in China ...

, Wang Shuhe, and

Zhang Zhongjing Zhang Zhongjing (; 150–219), formal name Zhang Ji (), was a Chinese pharmacologist, physician, inventor, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty and one of the most eminent Chinese physicians during the later years of the Han dynasty. He estab ...

. Uncharacteristically for medical texts of the time, ''Beiji qianjin yaofang'' also contains twenty-five

case histories ''Case Histories'' (2004) is a detective novel by British author Kate Atkinson and is set in Cambridge, England. It introduces Jackson Brodie, a former police inspector and now private investigator. The plot revolves around three seemingly unc ...

. According to the ''Zhongyao xueshi'' (), the text has some 3,500 remedies, some of which involve a single drug, whereas others call for as many as sixty-four ingredients, most commonly

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus '' Panax'', such as Korean ginseng ('' P. ginseng''), South China ginseng ('' P. notoginseng''), and American ginseng ('' P. quinquefolius''), typically characterized by the presence of ginsenosides ...

, which is contained in 445 remedies. For instance, a certain "White Vetch Pill" that "triggers pregnancy" contains seventeen ingredients mixed with

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

, including white

vetch ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

; ginseng; angelica; southern asarum; asarum; bull dodder; achyranthes;

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

bark; pinellia; adenophora; dried ginger; infected silkworm;

gentian ''Gentiana'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostl ...

; Sichuan pepper; aconite; saposhnikovia; and purple aster. Many of the remedies end with warnings such as "Do not transmit it even for a thousand in gold" and "Keep it secret".

Authorship

''Beiji qianjin yaofang'' was written by Sun Simiao, one of the most renowned physicians in Chinese history. In the text's preface, Sun explains his motivations behind compiling thousands of remedies:

Publication history

The text was completed and first published in 652. A sequel, titled ''

Qianjin yifang Qianjin may refer to: Mainland China * Qianjin District, Jiamusi (前进区), Heilongjiang ;Subdistricts () * Qianjin Subdistrict, Jiayuguan, in Jiayuguan City, Gansu * Qianjin Subdistrict, Guangzhou, in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong * Qian ...

'' (; literally ''Supplement to Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold''), was published in 682. ''Beiji qianjin yaofang'' and its sequel were reedited in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

by civil servant Lin Yi () and his colleagues at the ''Jiaozheng yishu ju'' (; literally Bureau for Editing Medical Texts); both texts were republished in 1066.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{History of medicine in China Chinese medical texts History of ancient medicine 7th-century Chinese books