| Shanghan Zabing Lun was the one of the first medical works combined with theory and practice. It integrated principles, methods, formulae and drugs with strict formulation, precise prescription and outstanding therapeutic effects. So this book was honored as the "Ancestor of other formulas". Zhongjing (the author of the book) summarized the theories of Su Wen, Jiu Juan, and Shennong Bencao Jing in Qin and Han dynasties as to be his book's basic theory. He also enriched his book by absorbing wisdom and experience of the famous doctor Yiyin in the Shang dynasty. This book he compiled summarized the achievements by the forerunners and guided the development of Traditional Chinese medicine. By comparative study of Shanghan Zabing Lun, Nei Jing, Shennong Bencao Jing, and Tangye Jingfa recorded on Fuxingjue Zhangfu Yongyao Fayao of Ancient Literature from Dunhuang. This article aimed to explain the decrees of classic books and apply them freely into practice, and then absorb the merits of other books and integrate them together, and finally to exceed forerunners and make new achievements. Firstly, to explain the decrees of classic books and apply them freely into practice, the following contents were reviewed, i.e., the principles of "monarch, minister, assistant, and guide", "large-numbered, small-numbered, quick-acting, slow-acting, odd-numbered, even-numbered and compound formulae" and "formulation of nature and taste (including the principles of yin and yang of nature and taste, the principle of each of five tastes attributes to the corresponding viscera, the principle of ascending, descending), and then the general idea of how Zhang Zhongjing applied the decrees in the book freely into clinical practice could be obtained with the aid of analyzing the classic formulation. Secondly, to absorb the merits of other books and integrate them together, the relationship of formulation theory between Shennong Bencao Jing, Tangye Jingfa and Shanghan Zabing Lun was investigated. From the classic formulation of Shanghan Zabing Lun, it was found that Zhongjing absorbed the principles of seven actions related to the compatibility of ingredients in a formula in Shennong Bencao Jing, and created many Pair of Drugs, which represented its features of simple drugs with outstanding effects. The excavated book Fuxingjue Zhangfu Yongyao Fayao from Dunhuang presented us with the original edition of some "lost books" today, such as Fayao, Tongjun Yaolu, and Tangye Jingfa, which could better represent the medical ideology and provide reference to textual research of the source of formulae in the Shanghan Zabing Lun. On the basis of analyzing relationship between Tangye Jingfa and Shanghan Zabing Lun, we found that Zhang compiled the book with Tangye Jingfa as its original version and used lots of formulae in Tangye Jingfa. Some of the formulae in Shanghan Zabing Lun had partly the same composition and treatment as Tangye Jingfa, some were different, and some had the same name but different compositions and treatments, which showed that Zhang Zhongjing treated the disease flexibly. Finally, to exceed forerunners and make new achievements, Zhang Zhongjing made many new achievements in the field of formulation theory. In order to better fit the condition of disease, he established the principle of drug modification; in order to secure the therapeutic effect, he detailed and recorded the methods for decoction; in order to preclude incomplete syndrome differentiation and get sound prognosis, he noted contraindication and nursing in details; and he also created many new therapeutic methods and types of formulae. By doing so, Zhongjing made great contributions to the preparation of TCM. The book Shanghan Zabing Lun cherished plentiful contents and complete therapeutic theories and measures, and from the view of classic formulation, this article not only elucidated the inheritance and evolution of formulation theory in Shanghan Zabing Lun and unveiled the profound understanding of Zhang Zhongjing on classic formulation, but also contri... |
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