| In the inheritance and development of Traditional Chinese Medicine,ancient formulation studies have played an irreplaceable and crucial role.Formulation studies integrate traditional Chinese medicine theories,herbal processing techniques,pharmacopoeia literature,formulation studies,and ancient history of science and technology.Pills,with their characteristics of slow and sustained release,have become a unique formulation in ancient times.This study focuses on the formulation characteristics of "Ten Convenient Prescriptions" and comprehensively applies the disciplines of literature,statistics,and data mining to investigate the pill formulations in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions".The main research contents are as follows:Part One provides an overview and study of the author Guo Tan,the transmission versions,compilation principles,and main contents of "Ten Convenient Prescriptions".The "Baoqing Bencao Zhezhong" from the Song Dynasty recorded that Guo Tan was from Fenyang.Guo Tan,who suffered from diseases and setbacks,had lofty aspirations.He compiled this book based on the principle of "ten conveniences" after personally testing the medicines to relieve his own illnesses and serve the people."Ten Convenient Prescriptions" has two versions:the surviving Song edition "Xinbian Jinshi Shi Bianfang" in China,and the surviving Song edition "Beiquan Gujin Shi Bianfang" in Japan.The two books complement each other,with a total of 37 volumes.The content of the book is compiled from previous herbal books and formula books,and it establishes a method of classifying formulas based on the number of medicinal ingredients,dividing them into three categories:single formulas,concise formulas,and group formulas.Part Two focuses on the statistics and classification of pills."Ten Convenient Prescriptions" cites ten herbal works and a total of 65 formula books from the Han Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty.It includes more than 2,200 formulations,of which approximately 1,333 are annotated with sources,and 391 are pills.In the statistical analysis of the number of pills,they are classified and included or excluded based on the manufacturing process.Among them,there are 145 honey pills,accounting for 35.9%of the total pills in the book.There are 141 paste pills,accounting for 34.9%of the total pills,4 wax pills,18 concentrated pills,13 water pills,and 1 water-honey pill.There are 69 other pills(types of pills that do not fit into other categories).The pill types in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions" conform to the characteristics of pills in the Song Dynasty,where honey pills and paste pills were the two major types.Part Three explores the rules of pill excipients in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions".The book uses 193 medicinal ingredients,with a cumulative frequency of use of 1,701 times.Among them,the medicinal ingredients with more than 40 mentions each are Aconitum,dried ginger,white atractylodes,Chinese angelica,ginseng,Rehmannia,and cinnabar.The prescriptions in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions" cover a total of 353 indications,with a cumulative frequency of 639 times.The top 15 indications include poor appetite,diarrhea,abdominal pain,abdominal distension,vomiting,gastric cold,emaciation,spleen deficiency,dysentery,visual impairment,and fatigue.A total of 104 association rules were obtained through association rule analysis of the herbal formulations and indications in 391 prescriptions of pills."Ten Convenient Prescriptions" honey pills are mainly used for spleen and stomach disorders,chronic deficiency diseases,and digestive system diseases.Paste pills mainly target various symptoms caused by spleen and stomach dysfunction,especially related to the digestive system.Among them,wine paste pills,vinegar paste pills,and ginger juice paste pills have strong adaptability to treat various symptoms.Water pills are mostly used for visual impairment,concentrated pills for deficiency diseases,and wax pills for dysentery.Therefore,when selecting the pill type,the type of disease should be fully considered.Through the pharmacological authentication of the pill excipients,the sources of ancient pill excipients have been clarified.Part Four focuses on the study of pill manufacturing techniques.It mainly discusses the pulverization and mixing of herbal medicines,sieving,pill-making processes,pill coating,and preservation in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions".The methods of pulverizing herbal medicines in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions" mainly include grinding,grinding with a pestle,and pounding.Fire processing methods are used for animal medicines that are difficult to pulverize,and water spraying methods are used for mineral medicines.When mixing medicines,attention should be paid to achieving uniform mixing."Moistening medicines" such as Ophiopogon and processed Rehmannia should be dried multiple times,considering the impact of moisture absorption on weight.In terms of sieving,due to the improvement of textile technology,the particle size of pills became finer.In the Han and Tang dynasties,silk fabric was used,and the powder was medium or fine.In the Song Dynasty,silk fabric was mostly used,and the powder could reach the finest consistency.The Song Dynasty pioneered the method of water-dripping pill-making for water pills,and the production of paste pills mainly involved boiling and forming paste.The key point in making honey pills lies in the production of refined honey,while wax pills require attention to the temperature of the wax during shaping.In terms of pill specifications,they can be classified into physical standards and weight standards.Physical standards often use common plants,such as Chinese parasol seeds,hemp seeds,chicken eggs,radish seeds,etc.Weight standards are based on the liang unit,with each liang containing eight or forty pills,weighing between 1-5g.Ancient people generally took smaller doses of pills than modern times.In terms of pill coating and preservation,the Song Dynasty saw a variety of pill coating materials,including cinnabar,licorice,Amur cork tree,realgar,indigo,herbal frost,talc,gold and silver foil.Pill coating can improve the efficacy of pills and enhance the level of pill production.The preservation of pills is achieved through wax paper wrapping or sealing with beeswax.Although the precursor of wax-coated pills,military wax pills,appeared in the Tang Dynasty,they were not popularized in the Song Dynasty.The characteristics of the pills in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions" are reflected in the diversity of excipients,the close correlation between the pill dosage form and the drug,and the main treatment.Ancient physicians made pills based on clinical symptoms by selecting appropriate excipients and dosage forms,which not only reflected the relationship between pill dosage forms and pill excipients,but also revealed the pharmacological relationship between excipients and diseases.This undoubtedly provides important theoretical basis and clinical guidance for the development of modern medicine and pharmacy.In fact,the "Ten Convenient Prescriptions" not only showcases Guo Tan’s personal contribution,but also the wisdom crystallization of ancient Chinese medicine.It represents a profound understanding and unique insight into disease treatment,and its core ideas and treatment methods are still widely used in the field of traditional Chinese medicine to this day.At the same time,the study of pills in the "Ten Convenient Prescriptions" also provides important references for the development of modern Chinese medicine.Overall,through in-depth analysis and research on the characteristics of the pills in "Ten Convenient Prescriptions",we can have a deeper understanding and grasp of the essence of traditional Chinese medicine.This not only provides us with a new perspective on understanding ancient medicine,but also provides new thinking for the development of modern medicine.Traditional Chinese medicine is a discipline with a long history and full of wisdom,and the study of "Ten Convenient Prescriptions"undoubtedly provides valuable information and unique research perspectives for us to better understand and inherit this discipline. |
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