Ben Cao Gang Mu, Volume 2: Waters, Fires, Stones & Minerals in Healing

The Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica) is the crowning achievement of Li Shizhen (1518–1593), the Ming Dynasty physician who spent 27 years compiling the most comprehensive medical encyclopedia in Chinese history. Volume 2 brings readers into the world of natural elements — waters, fires, soils, metals, jades, stones, minerals, and salts — and their role in traditional medicine. From healing stones to mineral-based remedies, this volume reflects centuries of East Asian knowledge linking the physical world to human health.

Why It’s Tough Enough for Tough Kraut
• Elemental Foundations: This volume explores how natural elements — from jade to salt — were understood as potent forces in balancing the body and treating disease.
• Expanding the Compendium: Covering Chapters 5–11, it builds on the foundation of Volume 1 by documenting the practical uses and symbolic importance of non-plant materials.
• UNESCO-Registered Legacy: Recognized in 2011 as part of the world’s documentary heritage, the Ben Cao Gang Mu stands as a global treasure of knowledge.
• Crossroads of Science & Tradition: For modern readers, this annotated edition shows how early scholars bridged observation, philosophy, and medical practice with a precision that still resonates.

Proven Finishing Touches
• Global Recognition: UNESCO describes it as “the most complete and comprehensive medical book ever written in the history of TCM.”
• Element-Specific Focus: Includes detailed entries on jades, stones, and minerals — substances still used in traditional practices today.
• Trusted Translation: Paul Unschuld’s side-by-side presentation of Chinese text and English commentary offers clarity for both scholars and practitioners.

Why We Love It
This volume fascinates us because it highlights how deeply traditional medicine connected human health with the natural world. At Tough Kraut, we often see the same principle in homesteading: soils, minerals, and even salts aren’t just background matter — they’re active players in ecosystem health. Li Shizhen’s work reminds us that observation and respect for natural resources have always been central to sustainable living and healing.

Get Yours Now
Ready to explore the mineral wisdom of Ming China? Ben Cao Gang Mu, Volume 2 is available through University of California Press and on Amazon in your region.

Specifications
• Title: Ben Cao Gang Mu, Volume 2: Waters, Fires, Soils, Metals, Jades, Stones, Minerals, Salts
• Author: Li Shizhen (1518–1593)
• Translator/Editor: Paul Unschuld
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Series: Ben Cao Gang Mu (9 volumes, 10 books)
• First Draft Completed: 1578 (Ming Dynasty)
• UNESCO Registration Year: 2011
• ISBN: 978-0520379893