The Connotation of "Dispelling Xiegui (Malevolent Pathogenic Influences)" in the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and the Study on Medication
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Of the 365 traditional Chinese medicines in Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica, 54 have the functions of "eliminating evil spirits", including ghostly essence, the evil spirits and the ghost-sickness. By analyzing the interpretation of the medical books and the characteristics of the traditional Chinese medicines with such effects, this paper holds that the ancients attributed the symptoms mental disorders and chronic infectious diseases, which were like evil spirits possessed by humans and had unknown causes, to the charm of evil spirits, thus forming the effect of "dispelling xiegui (malevolent pathogenic influences)". This kind of traditional Chinese medicines in Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica is mostly inferior, toxic medicine, in modern Chinese medicine, there are mainly Zhenjing Anshen medicine, Pinggan Xifeng medicine, phlegm resuscitation medicine, heat-clearing medicine, Junxia Zhushui medicine and detoxification medicine. Some traditional Chinese medicines also have many applications in the treatment of epidemic disease, which is worth further exploring and providing some reference for the treatment of epidemic disease.
Authors: Shujia YANG, Hongxin CAO
Institutions: Palace Museum, Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6903619054
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