Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history. More than 2,000 years ago Canon of Medicine, the earliest of the extant medical classics in China was produced. It was known to later generations as two books: Plain Questions and Miraculous Pivot. The latter is also called Canon of Acupuncture or Nine Volumes. The book, Canon of Medicine,extensively summarizes and systematizes the Previous experiences of treatment and theories of medicine,deals at length with the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the human body, and the diagnosis,treatment and prevention of diseases, on the basis of the then achievements of other natural sciences, and under the guidance of the ancient naive materialism and spontaneous dialectics. It lays a primary foundation for the theories of TCM.The book The Herbal is the earliest extant classic on materia medica handed down from the Qin and Han dynasties (221 B.C--220 A.D.). It is the summary of pharmaceutical knowledge which was known before the Han dynasty. Not only does it discuss in great detail 365 kinds of drugs but also records and narrates the pharmacological theories of "Jun,chen,Zuo and Shi " (monarch, minister, assistant and guide) indicating the different actions of drugs in a prescription," Qi Qing He He " (seven conditions in making up prescriptions) " Si Qi " (four properties of drugs,) " Wu Wei " (five kinds of flavours: sour, bitter sweet, acrid and salty) and so on.

Zhang Zhongjing, a famous TCM doctor in the Eastern Han dynasty (300 A.D.), made thorough study of such classics as Plain Questions, Canon of Acupuncture, Classic on Medical Problems and the like. Meanwhile he collected extensively other effective prescriptions. At last he wrote a book by combining what he had learned with his own findings in clinical practice. The book's title is Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Miscellaneous Diseases. It analyses and differentiates febrile diseases according to the theory of six channels, miscellaneous diseases according to the pathological changes of viscera and bowels and their interrelations, and in so doing establishes Chinese medicine's theoretical system and therapeutic principle, i.e., diagnosis and treatment based on an overall analysis of signs and symptoms. It lays a foundation for the development of clinical medicine. Later generations divided it into two books. One is Treatise on Febrile Diseases in which there are 113 prescriptions (among them is one named " Yu Yu Liang Pill " which exists only in name). The other is Synopsis of Prescriptions of Golden Chamber. It introduces 262 prescriptions, some of which are the same as those stated in the former book. Hence, the number of the prescriptions from these two books is up to 269 in all. They contain, basically, the prescriptions often used in every department of clinical medicine and are known as the earliest ancestor of all the other books on the study of prescriptions.

Huang Fumi (215--282 A.D.), a noted medical man in the Western Jin dynasty ,compiled the book, A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion by rearranging the basic contents of the three books: Plain Questions, Canon of Acupuncture and An Outline of Points for Acupuncture and Moxibustion. The book, A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, consists of 12 volumes, 128 chapters and is the earliest extant classic on acupuncture and moxibustion in China. Not only does it refer to viscera and bowels, channels and collaterals, acupuncture points, pathogenesis, diagnosis, acupuncture manipulation,puncture contraindication, indication of acupuncture points and so on, but also verifies the total number of the acupoints of that time and gives a list of 349 point locations (49 individual points and 300 double points). What is more, it also discusses the therapeutic properties of each point in each parts of the body and its prohibitions, and summarizes the methods of manipulation of needles. It has exerted a great influence upon the medicine of acupuncture and moxibustion all over the world.It was stipulated by the Japanese authorities as early as 701 A.D. as one of the required reading books for B.M. candidates.

In 610 A.D., Chao Yuanfang, together with others, compiled the book General Treatise on the Causes and Symptoms of Disease which is the earliest extant classic on etiology and syndrome in China. It is of 50 volumes, divided into 67 categories, and list 1,700 syndromes and expounds respectively the pathology, signs and symptoms of various diseases concerning internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology, pediatrics as well as the five sense organs. The book contains detailed and precise descriptions of the etiology and pathogenesis of certain diseases.

Sun Simiao (581--682 A.D.), a famous medical man in the Tang dynasty, devoted his life to writing out the tow books: Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies and A Supplement to the Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold. The former is divided into 30 volumes and introduces 5,300 prescriptions; the latter, 30 volumes, 2,571 prescriptions. These tow books deal with the key problems of every clinical department: acupuncture and moxibustion, diet therapy, prevention, health preservation and so on. His outstanding achievement is in the treatment of deficiency diseases. In 752 A.D., Wang Tao wrote a treatise, The Medical Secrets of An Official. The book contains 40 volumes, 1,104 categories (of which 1,048 have so far been verified) and introduces 6,000 or so prescriptions. It can certainly be known as a mastery of prescriptions available before the Tang dynasty.

In the Song dynasty (960--1279 A.D.), more attention was paid to education in terms of TCM. In 1057 A.D., in the Song dynasty, a special organ called '' Bureau for Correcting Medical Books " was set up in order to collect, sort out, research textually and collate the medical books of past ages. Ten years later, in about 1068-1077 A.D., a number of collated book were printed and published in succession. Among others now available are Plain Question, Treatise on Febrile Diseases, Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber, A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, General Treatise on the Causes and Symptoms of Diseases, Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies, A Supplement to The Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold, The Medical Secrets of An Official and so on, which have been handed down after being checked and printed.

Li Shizhen (1518-1593 A.D) was a great physician and pharmacologist in the Ming dynasty. He got a clear understanding of the growing forms of many medicinal plants by going up mountains to pick up medicinal herbs on his own and doing investigations conscientiously in many places, dissecting some medicinal ingredients from animals and watching out for their effects by following their traces, and comparing and refining some medicinal minerals. Meanwhile he consulted more than 800 sorts of document. In so doing he was able to write his book: Compendium of Materia Medica. It took him 27 years to accomplish this. The book lists 1,892 medicines and more that 10,000 prescriptions. It is a great contribution to the development of pharmacology both in China and throughout the world.

In the last 100 years, with the widespread use of Western medicine in China, a new situation has arisen in which TCM and Western medicine are developing side by side. As a matter of fact, Chances and Western medicines are two medical sciences with different theoretical systems developed under different historical conditions. They are both the fruit of prolonged hard work, intelligence and wisdom of all mankind. Either of them has merits and shortcomings. Yet both have human beings as the object of study. Hence they should cooperate with and learn form each other, learning from the other's strong points to offset its own weaknesses.

From what has been said above, it is not hard to see that TCM is a traditional medicine which has a long history, high practical value and boundless prospects. It is worth learning, studying and applying all over the world.

---------- Source Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine