Xin Xiu Bencao (新修本草): The Tang Dynasty Imperial Materia Medica — The World's First National Pharmacopeia

The World’s First National Pharmacopeia

Xin Xiu Bencao (新修本草), the “Newly Revised Materia Medica,” was completed in 659 AD under the commission of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. It holds a distinction that resonates far beyond China: it is widely recognized as the first government-sponsored pharmacopeia in world history — predating Europe’s first official pharmacopeia (the Nuovo Receptario of Florence, 1498) by over 800 years.

The text was compiled by a team of over 20 scholars led by Su Jing (苏敬), with contributions from court physicians, pharmacologists, and regional officials across the Tang Empire.

Why an Imperial Pharmacopeia Was Needed

By the 7th century, the Tang Dynasty governed a vast, multi-ethnic empire with extensive trade networks reaching Central Asia, India, and the Middle East. Several factors drove the need for an official, standardized materia medica:

• Herb misidentification was common — different regions used the same name for different plants, leading to dangerous confusion
• Tao Hongjing’s Bencao Jing Jizhu (completed ~500 AD) was over 150 years old and needed updating
• New substances had entered Chinese medicine through Silk Road trade — herbs, minerals, and animal products from distant lands
• Medical education needed standardization — the Imperial Medical Bureau (太医署) required a reliable reference for training physicians
• Public safety — an official text could reduce poisoning from misidentified herbs

Structure and Content

Three Components

Xin Xiu Bencao consisted of three parts:

Component	Content	Chapters
Text (正文)	Descriptions, properties, and uses of each substance	20 chapters
Illustrations (药图)	Drawings of herbs for identification	7 chapters (now lost)
Illustration Notes (图经)	Explanatory notes accompanying the drawings	7 chapters (partially preserved)

Expanded Catalog

The text cataloged approximately 850 medicinal substances, a significant increase from the 730 in Tao Hongjing’s earlier work. New entries included:

• Herbs newly imported via the Silk Road (such as saffron, myrrh, and frankincense)
• Regional herbs from the expanded Tang territories
• Additional mineral and animal substances
• Revised descriptions of previously known herbs

Standardized Format

Each entry followed a consistent structure:

1. Name — primary name with synonyms
2. Properties — taste, temperature nature, and toxicity
3. Source — where the substance is found and how to identify it
4. Functions — therapeutic effects and target organs
5. Preparation — processing methods
6. Dosage and usage — how much to use and in what form
7. Contraindications — when not to use it

The Illustration System — A Visual Revolution

One of Xin Xiu Bencao’s most innovative features was the inclusion of illustrated herb guides (药图). Su Jing’s team commissioned artists to draw each herb from living specimens collected from across the empire.

This was an enormous undertaking:

• Officials in every province were ordered to collect and submit specimens
• Artists drew the plants in their natural state, showing leaves, stems, roots, and flowers
• The drawings were paired with written descriptions to enable reliable field identification

Why this mattered: Before illustrated pharmacopeias, physicians relied entirely on written descriptions — which were often ambiguous. A phrase like “leaves like willow” could apply to dozens of plants. The illustrations made identification dramatically more reliable.

Unfortunately, the illustration volumes have been lost to history — only fragments survive in later quotations. But the concept of illustrated pharmacopeias persisted and was expanded in later works.

Key Innovations

1. Empirical Verification

Su Jing insisted on verifying information through direct observation rather than blindly copying earlier texts. When a herb’s description seemed inaccurate or vague, his team sought out the actual plant.

2. Regional Sourcing Records

For the first time, the text systematically recorded where each herb grew and which regional varieties were considered superior. This established the concept of dao di herbs (道地药材) — the idea that herbs from specific regions have the best quality.

3. Import Documentation

The text carefully documented substances that were not native to China but had been introduced through trade, helping physicians understand unfamiliar medicines.

4. Cross-Referencing with Clinical Practice

Su Jing’s team consulted practicing physicians across the empire, comparing textual descriptions with actual clinical experience.

Historical Impact

In China

Xin Xiu Bencao became the official textbook of the Imperial Medical Bureau and remained authoritative for over 300 years. It established the precedent that the government had a responsibility to standardize medical knowledge for public safety.

Later works that built on its foundation include:

• Kai Bao Bencao (开宝本草, 973 AD) — Song Dynasty revision
• Jia You Bencao (嘉祐本草, 1057 AD) — further Song revision
• Zheng Lei Bencao (证类本草, 1108 AD) — the most influential pre-modern materia medica
• Bencao Gangmu (本草纲目, 1596 AD) — Li Shizhen’s masterpiece

In East Asia

The text was transmitted to Japan and Korea within decades of its completion:

• Japan — the text was imported and became a core reference for Japanese medicine; copies survive in Japanese temple libraries
• Korea — influenced the development of Korean herbal medicine during the Unified Silla period

In World History

As the first government-sponsored pharmacopeia, Xin Xiu Bencao represents a milestone in the history of pharmacy and public health. It established principles that remain fundamental:

• Government responsibility for drug standardization
• Illustrated guides for accurate identification
• Systematic documentation of medicinal substances
• Regular revision to incorporate new knowledge

The Text’s Survival

The original Xin Xiu Bencao was eventually lost in China, but fragments survived through:

• Japanese manuscripts — partial copies preserved in temple libraries
• Quotations in later texts — especially Zheng Lei Bencao, which preserved extensive excerpts
• Dunhuang manuscripts — fragments discovered in the Silk Road cave library at Dunhuang in the early 20th century

Modern scholars have reconstructed much of the text from these scattered sources, providing a remarkably complete picture of the original work.

Related Reading

• Shennong Bencao Jing: The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica
• Bencao Jing Jizhu: Tao Hongjing’s Annotated Materia Medica
• Bencao Gangmu: Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Materia Medica
• TCM Herb Processing (Pao Zhi)