Kou Zong-shi, a person from the Song Dynasty, with his place of residence unknown. He was well-versed in medical principles, especially proficient in the study of materia medica. He once held the position of "identifying medicinal materials at the medicinal materials procurement office." During the Zhenghe period (1111-1117 AD), he served as a medical officer and was awarded the title of Tongzhi Lang. He authored the "Bencao Yanyi" (also known as "Guangyi of Materia Medica") in twenty volumes, published in the sixth year of Zhenghe (1116 AD), with a revised edition from the Song Dynasty still extant. The current "Dao Zang" contains the "Collected Annotations and Expanded Meanings of Materia Medica" in forty-two volumes, which is a different name for the same work as "Bencao Yanyi."