Written by Wang Tao of the Tang Dynasty in the 11th year of Tianbao (752), this book is abbreviated as Waitai, also known as Waitai Miyao Fang.

Although this book is a medical formula book, it is an important medical classic. The author, who managed the Hongwen Pavilion for a long time, had extensive access to a large number of ancient medical texts and spent ten years compiling this monumental work. It was corrected and published by the Bureau for the Correction of Medical Books in the second year of the Zhiping era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1065). It has been reprinted many times to date, with more than ten versions currently available. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the People's Medical Publishing House has twice reproduced it in facsimile.

Waitai Miyao collects dozens of medical works from the Tang Dynasty and before, totaling 40 volumes, divided into 1104 categories, and contains more than 6000 medical formulas. Volumes 1 to 2 deal with cold-damage disease; volumes 3 to 6 discuss epidemic diseases, warm disease, malaria, cholera, etc.; volumes 7 to 20 cover internal diseases; volumes 21 to 22 deal with diseases of the eyes, ears, nose, and teeth; volumes 23 to 24 discuss goiter and Yongju; volumes 25 to 27 cover dysentery and related diseases; volumes 28 to 30 deal with attacks of noxious factors, incised wounds, malignant sores, etc.; volumes 31 to 32 discuss the collection of medicinal herbs, pills and powders, and facial diseases; volumes 33 to 34 discuss women's diseases; volumes 35 to 36 cover children's diseases; volumes 37 to 38 discuss milk stones; volumes 39 to 40 cover nose moxibustion.

The entire book first discusses then provides formulas, with the discussions mostly cited from Zhubing Yuanhou Lun and cold-damage disease theory, and many medical formulas are compiled from Qianjin Fang. Under each selected text, the original book title and volume number are detailed. This scholarly method of citing books with volume and chapter numbers was pioneered by Wang in the organization of medical literature. The book extensively collects various formulas and theories, making significant contributions to the preservation of ancient medical literature. For example, Jinxiao Fang, Gujin Luyanfang, Shanfan Fang, Shenshi Fang, Xiaopin Fang, Guzhengbing Jiufang, etc., many of which are now lost and not transmitted, have been preserved thanks to this book. Although it is a compilation work, its achievement in preserving ancient medical formulas has made a great contribution to the medical heritage of our country.