Classic Wisdom in Clinical Practice of Chinese Herbal Therapy

Traditionally, there are four classics considered as the Four Major Classics in Chinese medicine, and they include: (1) Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine; (2) Difficult Classic; (3) Treatise on the Attack of External Pathogens; (4) Essential Prescriptions of Golden Book Chamber. In addition, a school of thought called warm diseases consisting of a number of classics is also considered as an indispensable group of classics. The Yellow Emperor's Classics of Internal Medicine is the first and primary classic of traditional Chinese medicine, and it is the source of inspiration in the development of TCM. The Classic had effectively guided the clinical practice and held in great esteem by all Chinese physicians for over two thousand years since its publication. The study of Nei-Jing has gradually emerged as an important subject of research among Chinese and foreign scholars alike. This classic is attributed to Yellow Emperor (2697 - 2597 BC), although it was impossible for anyone or any group of scholars to have written this classic. Chinese historians generally believe that this classic was written during the Periods of the Spring and Autumn. If I were asked to select the most important medical classic in Chinese history, I would say without hesitation that the Yellow Emperor's Classics of Internal Medicine is the classic to be chosen. The position of this medical classic in traditional Chinese medicine may be compared to that of Plato's Republic in Western philosophy and that of Shakespeare in English literature, for the good reason that this classic had, since its first publication, become the most authoritative guidance for the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. The classic had become the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine in the same way as the thought of Confucius had become the foundation of Chinese philosophy.