This book is a famous materia medica from the Five Dynasties period in China. The original work was compiled by Ri Huazi of Wuyue, comprising 20 volumes. According to the research of Zhang Yu-xi from the Song Dynasty, it contains over 600 medicinal substances. The book is rich in content and practical, serving as an important document for the study of Chinese medicinals and the history of pharmacology during the Five Dynasties. Ri Huazi, whose surname is Da and given name Ming, or possibly Tian (details require further research), compiled the preface by gathering various materia medica used in recent times, categorizing them by their nature (cold, warm), taste, and type (plants, animals), with detailed descriptions of their functions.

The original book has been lost, but fortunately, a large amount of its content is preserved in the "Jiayou Materia Medica," allowing us to understand its general outline. The book places significant emphasis on the theory of medicinal properties, classifying various drugs into six types based on their clinical efficacy: cool, cold, warm, hot, neutral, and mild. It points out that different parts of the same plant can have different medicinal properties, such as the neutral nature of cogongrass but the cool nature of its juice. It also notes that different processing methods of materia medica can alter their medicinal properties, such as Dried Rehmannia Root being neutral when sun-dried and warm when fire-dried, highlighting the role of processing in changing medicinal properties. Additionally, the book includes new records on the introduction of new medicinal varieties, the morphology and origin of drugs, their places of production, harvesting times, cultivation, and processing methods. In summary, this book is a comprehensive materia medica work of considerable value.