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He was known as the Hermit Master or Huayang Hermit, and posthumously as Master Zhenbai, from Moling, Danyang (present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu). Tao lived during the Southern Dynasties, spanning the Song, Qi, and Liang dynasties, and was a figure of considerable influence at the time, a naturalist who made significant contributions to material medica.

Coming from a family of physicians, both his grandfather and father practiced medicine and were skilled in martial arts. He was intelligent from a young age, reading Ge Hong's Biographies of the Divine Immortals by the age of ten, which deeply influenced him. At thirty-six, he resigned from his official post to live in seclusion on Mount Mao in Jurong, and traveled extensively to famous mountains in search of medicinal herbs. He enjoyed the trust of Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, who often consulted him on state affairs despite Tao's refusal of official positions, earning him the title "Prime Minister of the Mountains."

Tao's thought represents a fusion of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

In terms of medicine, he was one of the most significant early figures in the history of material medica in China. During his time, there were over ten works on material medica, but they lacked a unified standard, especially since ancient materia medica had become outdated, with disorganized content and confusion between plants, minerals, and animals, making clinical application inconvenient. He undertook the monumental task of compiling and simplifying the existing works on material medica, organizing them into Shennong Bencao Jing and Mingyi Bielu, and then combining the two, adding his own insights to create Bencao Jing Jizhu, which included 730 medicinal substances, marking a milestone in the history of material medica in China.

The main feature of this work was its establishment of material medica as a comprehensive field of natural history. He also introduced innovative classifications, such as categorizing drugs by their therapeutic properties, and pioneered the format of materia medica works with general and specific discussions. Under the historical conditions of the time, he also used red and black ink to distinguish between Benjing and Bielu texts, among other methods. His contributions to the history of material medica in China are indelible.

Tao Hongjing possessed a spirit of scientific inquiry. Under the conditions of his time, he dared to propose new classifications for material medica, breaking away from the traditional three-grade classification. Originally a Taoist, he was pragmatic enough to challenge the three-grade classification, demonstrating his commitment to scientific truth. His motto, "Not knowing one thing is a deep shame," drove his scientific achievements. For example, he personally examined the nests of the slender-waisted wasp (Lei) and concluded that the Book of Songs was mistaken, boldly criticizing the errors of ancient sages.

According to records, Tao Hongjing authored many works in his lifetime, with Jia Song's Huayang Hermit's Inner Biography listing thirty-two works totaling two hundred and thirty-three volumes. In the field of health preservation, he wrote Records on Nourishing Nature and Prolonging Life and Classic of Nourishing Life, and in material medica, besides the aforementioned, he also authored Essential Formulas of Medicine, among others.

Tao Hongjing also achieved notable success in medicine. In ancient times, medicine and pharmacology were not separate fields, and as a material medica expert, he was also well-versed in medical theory, as was Tao Hongjing. He first compiled Ge Hong's Zhouhou Fang into Supplemented and Revised Emergency Formulas Worth a Hundred in Gold, and authored Effective Formulas.

In addition, Tao Hong-jing also conducted research in other disciplines such as astronomy, calendrical calculations, and health preservation. It is said that he even created a "Hun Wu Instrument," but unfortunately, there is no extant evidence to verify this.