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This book is a material medica and a masterpiece of natural history. Li Shi-zhen was written in 1578. In the 21st year of Wanli (1593), it was engraved and published by Hu Chenglong of Jinling, and it was called the Jinling version. According to the title of the Jinling edition, the medicinal pictures were compiled by his son Li Jianzhong and painted by Li Jianyuan and Li Jianmu.

Bencao Gangmu has been engraved dozens of times over the past 400 years, with numerous versions, and is known as "one ancestor and three series". The first ancestor is the Jinling version, which is divided into three systems: Jiangxi version, Qian version and Zhang version. The ancestral Jinling edition includes the Yuantang edition, of which only 7 exist. The Jiangxi edition was popular in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and includes the Jiangxi edition (1603), Hubei edition, Shiquge edition, Lidatang edition, Shizhuzhai edition, and Kuanyong edition. (Japan), Zhang Chao edition, Jin Chang edition, Wuzhitang edition, People's Medical Publishing House proofread edition (1977~1981), etc. 12 types. The Qian edition system was popular in the early and mid-Qing Dynasty, including Qian Weiqi edition (Wulin Qian Heng edition) , 1640), Japan Chengying 2nd Year Edition (1653), Taihe Tang Edition, Japan Manji 2 Year Edition (1659), Benli Tang Edition, Wenhuitang Edition, Sikuquan Shuben, Tongwentang Pocket Edition, etc. 38 types. The Zhang version system became popular after the late Qing Dynasty. There is the Zhang Shaotang version (Wei Gu Zhai version), engraved in 1885. The text was edited by the Jiangxi version and the Qian version. The medicinal pictures were adapted from the Qian version (more than 400 pieces), with Qing Qing notes. On behalf of Zhao Xue-min Bencao Gangmu Shiyi, it is widely circulated. In addition, there are Hongbaozhai edition, book collection edition, Tongshu edition, Cuisu edition, business edition, Japanese Handaya edition (engraved in 1913, reprinted in 1919. Named with supplement Bencao Gangmu , with Common Index of Chinese Medicine Alias), Taipei Wenguang edition, Kowloon Qiushi Publishing House edition, photocopy of People's Health Publishing House (1957), Hong Kong Business Edition, etc. 18 kind.

The book has a total of 52 volumes, containing 1892 kinds of medicines, including 1094 kinds of botanical medicines. There are 798 kinds of minerals, animals and other medicines, 374 of which were newly added by Li. There are 1,109 pictures and 11,096 formulas, among which more than 8,000 formulas were collected or drafted by Li. The Encyclopedia of Ancient China mentioned by Darwin in his work, according to the analysis of the cited materials, refers to Bencao Gangmu.

After the publication of this book, it promoted the research on material medica and biology in China, and a number of practical material medica works emerged that focused on the information provided by Bencao Gangmu and carefully selected medicines. , there are medicines, pictures and prescriptions suitable for clinical application, such as materia medica selection, Bencao Huiyan, etc. There have been some expansion and supplementary works, such as >Bencao Gangmu Shiyi, Zhiwu Mingshi Tukao, etc. This book was introduced to Japan in 1606, and later to Europe through various channels. It had a great influence abroad, and the British , French, German, Japanese and other languages.