Li Shizhen

Also known as Dongbi

Chinese polymath and scientist (1517-1593)

Key facts

Born: July 3, 1518, Qizhou Town, Qichun County , Hubei
Died: 1593 (aged 74 – 75)
Other name: Dongbi ( 東璧 )
Occupations: Acupuncturist, herbalist, naturalist, pharmacologist, physician, writer
Father: Li Yanwen

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Family name: Li
Gender: male
Citizenship: Ming dynasty
Occupation: pharmacist
Languages spoken: Chinese
Native language: Chinese
Notable work: Compendium of Materia Medica
Field of work: Chinese herbology
Image: Li Shizhen portrait.jpg

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Commons category: Li Shizhen
date of birth: 1517-07-03
date of death: 1593-01-01
described by source: History of Ming
pseudonym: Hinko
name in kana: りじちん
courtesy name: 東璧

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Encyclopedic overview

Li Shizhen (July 3, 1518 – 1593), courtesy name Dongbi, was a Chinese acupuncturist, herbalist, naturalist, pharmacologist, physician, and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is the author of a 27-year work, the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu; Chinese: 本草綱目). He developed several methods for classifying herb components and medications for treating diseases.

The Compendium is a pharmacology text with 1,892 entries, with details about more than 1,800 traditional Chinese medicines, including 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also described the type, form, flavor, nature and application in disease treatments of 1,094 herbs. The book has been translated into several languages. The treatise included various related subjects such as botany, zoology, mineralogy, and metallurgy. Five original editions still exist.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Li Shizhen” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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