Top ten Chinese medicine health books

1. "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic", 2. "Treatise on Febrile Diseases", 3. "Synopsis of the Golden Chamber", 4. "Differentiation of Treatises on Febrile Diseases", 5. "Compendium of Materia Medica", 6. "It is better to seek medical advice than to seek help from yourself", 7. "Women with spleen deficiency age quickly", 8. "Luo Dalun teaches you the four-season diet therapy", 9. "Eight Notes on Obedience to Health", 10. "Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine" (Qin Bowei edition). Of course, this ranking is not an "official standard answer". When I recommend it to friends, novices often hand over the popular science books at the end first, and will not toss people with the four classics as soon as they come up.

The five books at the top are all classics that have been around for hundreds or even thousands of years. People who are knowledgeable know that they are the roots of traditional Chinese medicine. Basically no one will question their status, but there are also many people who complain about them. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic is the source of the entire theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine. The core logic of "not treating the existing disease, treating the disease before it" and "maintaining health at the right time" all come from this, but it is really obscure. I bought a vertical version of the Traditional Chinese annotated version a few years ago when I had a brain fever. After flipping through three pages, I put it on my bookshelf as an ornament. It is still collecting dust. If you really want to read it, I suggest you first look for a version with full vernacular translation, and don’t challenge the difficulty level.

Next, "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and "Synopsis of the Golden Chamber" were both written by Zhang Zhongjing. Doctors of the Jingfang sect regard these two books as gods, and many of the prescriptions recorded in them are still used in clinical practice. Last winter, I suffered from aunt's pain. Following the idea of ​​the angelica, ginger and mutton soup in "Synopsis of the Golden Chamber", I added some astragalus and simmered it for more than half a month. It was indeed more effective than drinking brown sugar water. However, doctors from the febrile disease school will also remind you that most of the prescriptions in these two books are for diseases that were mostly caused by cold in ancient times. Nowadays, everyone blows air conditioners every day and eats high-fat and high-sugar foods. Their physical constitution has changed long ago. If you just copy the original prescription, you will easily get angry. The dosage and addition and subtraction must be adjusted accordingly. Ordinary people should not prescribe blindly for themselves.

"Tiao Bian of Febrile Diseases" is more suitable for southern friends to refer to. After all, it is the core classic of the Febrile School. The treatment ideas for damp heat and wind heat are particularly practical. It explains clearly how to remove dampness during the rainy season and how to use Yinqiao Powder for wind heat and colds. However, in the dry and cold environment of the north, many prescriptions for febrile diseases are not very symptomatic and do not need to be applied rigidly. Needless to say, "Compendium of Materia Medica" is the most well-known. If ordinary people want to read it, just focus on the part where medicine and food have the same origin. It contains a lot of ancient dross, such as the saying that burning ashes on a hanging rope can cure fright. Just read it for fun, don't take it seriously. There is a lot of controversy about this book in the industry now. They think it is more like an ancient natural history than a pure classic of traditional Chinese medicine.

After talking about ancient books that are full of professionalism, let’s talk about popular science books that ordinary people can directly use. How popular was "It's Better to Seek Medical Treatment than to Seek Yourself" back then? My mother and others in the square dance circle have a copy of the book, and they follow it every day to learn to tap the gallbladder meridian and massage Zusanli. My mother persisted for half a year, and the constipation she had suffered for many years has improved a lot. But some people complained that the method was too absolute. For example, tapping on the gallbladder meridian is not suitable for everyone. My aunt was particularly weak in energy and blood. After a week of tapping, she felt dizzy and weak, so she quickly stopped. In fact, most of the methods in the book are aimed at ordinary people with sufficient qi and blood. People with underlying diseases or who are particularly weak still need to consult a doctor before trying.

"Women with a Deficient Spleen Age Faster" is a health introductory book for many girls. It was written by Tong Tong. The content is very down-to-earth. Nowadays, eight out of ten young people have a deficient spleen. They suffer from yellow face, hair loss, poor appetite, and diarrhea after eating something cold. It talks about how to replenish the spleen deficiency and how to avoid pitfalls. It is very practical. Oh, by the way, don’t be dissuaded by the title of the book. The methods in it can also be used by boys. I recommended it to a male colleague who had spleen deficiency and suffered from diarrhea. He drank Sijunzi Decoction for a month according to the instructions in the book, and now his gastrointestinal condition is much better.

I often read "Luo Dalun Teaches You Four Seasons Diet Therapy" myself. They are all seasonal preparation methods. There are no hard-to-buy medicinal materials, they are all daily ingredients. What scented tea to drink in spring to soothe the liver, and how to eat pears to moisturize the lungs in autumn. It is simple and easy to operate. At the end of last year, I had a cough for almost half a month after my erections. I followed his instructions and sprinkled some steamed oranges with Sichuan peppercorns. After three days of eating, I was almost healed. But let’s be honest, dietotherapy is just an auxiliary treatment. If you really have a high fever or pneumonia, go to the hospital quickly. Don’t delay things by relying on dietotherapy.

"Eight Notes on Compliance with Health" is a health-preserving treatise from the Ming Dynasty. It is more focused on lifestyle adjustment. It tells how to drink tea, how to appreciate flowers, how to meditate and adjust your breath, and even how to choose stationery and how to grow flowers. It is suitable for people who like a slow life. After reading it, you will feel that health preservation is not really a troublesome thing, it is just about living a good life. But if you are a young person who is usually too busy to even take care of food, you will most likely find this book too wordy and useless.

The last book, "Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine" by Qin Boyei, is an introductory extracurricular book for many students in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. It is more popular than textbooks, but it is also professional enough. If you are not satisfied with just taking dietary remedies and want to systematically learn the basic knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, this book is a suitable introduction. But if you just want to adjust a minor problem in daily life, there is no need to buy this book, it is too professional and looks tiring.

In fact, to put it bluntly, this ranking is just a reference. There is really no need to buy from top to bottom according to the list. If you just want to adjust your diet and take care of your body, just choose from the popular science books at the back. ； If you are really interested in Chinese medicine and want to learn more about it, then slowly read the previous classics. I have seen too many people follow the trend and buy a complete set of the four classics without even looking through them twice, leaving them all gathering dust at home. It is a complete waste of money. The best health book is the one that suits you, that you can read and use.