Ben Cao Gang Mu, Volume 8: Clothes, Utensils & Creatures of Land and Water

The Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), compiled by Li Shizhen (1518–1593), is the most comprehensive medical encyclopedia in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. Volume 8 translates Chapters 38–46, covering clothes, utensils, worms, insects, amphibians, animals with scales, and animals with shells. This eclectic section demonstrates the breadth of Li’s vision, where not only plants and minerals but also tools, fabrics, and animals were considered in the search for health and balance.

Why It’s Tough Enough for Tough Kraut
• Beyond Plants & Minerals: This volume expands the compendium into practical and surprising domains — from daily utensils to animals used in traditional remedies.
• Creatures of Healing: Insects, amphibians, and shelled animals are detailed for their medicinal, symbolic, and sometimes cautionary roles.
• UNESCO-Registered Legacy: Recognized in 2011, the Ben Cao Gang Mu preserves over two millennia of evolving medical knowledge.
• Cultural Insight: By including clothes and utensils, Li Shizhen captured the material culture of Ming life as well as its medicine.

Proven Finishing Touches
• Rich Diversity: Chapters 38–46 show how traditional medicine extended well beyond herbs into the animal and material worlds.
• Trusted Translation: Paul Unschuld’s annotated edition provides the historical context alongside the original Chinese text.
• Valued for Range: Readers highlight this volume as one of the most eclectic and surprising in the entire compendium.

Why We Love It
At Tough Kraut, we admire how Volume 8 demonstrates a worldview where nothing in nature — or daily life — was outside the scope of learning. Just as we see value in every corner of our homestead, from insects in the soil to the tools in our hands, Li Shizhen documented how even the smallest worm or simplest object could have meaning. It’s a reminder that resilience comes from seeing connections everywhere.

Get Yours Now
Ready to explore the world of insects, amphibians, and everyday objects through Ming eyes? Ben Cao Gang Mu, Volume 8 is available through University of California Press and on Amazon in your region.

Specifications
• Title: Ben Cao Gang Mu, Volume 8: Clothes, Utensils, Worms, Insects, Amphibians, Animals with Scales, Animals with Shells
• 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: 978-0520379916