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Qing Dynasty, authored by Huang Gong-xiu, published in the year 1769 (Qianlong Jichou year). The book records 520 medicinal substances, divided into two volumes. The first volume details the form, nature, flavor, function, indications, and contraindications of the medicines. The second volume is divided into three parts: main medicines for zang-fu organ diseases, main medicines for six excesses diseases, and general principles of medicines. The book is named "Seeking Truth" because it thoroughly explores the meanings of medicines, eliminating all mixed and irrelevant discussions, allowing the true aspects to be fully revealed.

Huang's classification of medicines is quite unique. He did not adopt the traditional classification method used in materia medica books, which organizes medicines by categories such as herbs, grains, vegetables, and minerals. Instead, he classified medicines by their efficacy, dividing them into seven categories: tonifying and astringent, dispersing, purging, blood, miscellaneous, and food. Each category is further divided into subcategories. For example, the tonic formula includes warming the middle, mild tonification, tonifying fire, nourishing water, and warming the kidney. Purgatives are divided into draining dampness, purging dampness, purging water, reducing phlegm, purging heat, purging fire, lowering qi, and mild purging. Each medicine is annotated with its category and the serial number in the table of contents, which is a progressive indexing form in materia medica works, facilitating reference and helping scholars differentiate the similarities and differences of medicines, guiding clinical prescription. For example, although Chinese Yam and White Atractylodes Rhizome both belong to the tonic formula, Chinese Yam is for mild tonification, while White Atractylodes Rhizome is for warming the middle, and their clinical applications should differ.

In terms of the method of using medicines, Huang, based on the theory of Wuse entering the five zang-organs, combined with his own academic insights, proposed distinguishing the use of medicines by form, color, nature, and flavor. He believed that "all medicines that are green in color, sour in taste, with a rancid smell, and of wood nature, enter the foot jueyin liver and foot shaoyang gallbladder meridian (GB)"; "all medicines that are red in color, bitter in taste, with a burnt smell, and of fire nature, enter the hand shaoyin heart and hand taiyang small intestine meridian (SI)"; "all medicines that are yellow in color, sweet in taste, with a fragrant smell, and of earth nature, enter the foot taiyin spleen and foot yangming stomach meridian (ST)"; "all medicines that are white in color, pungent in taste, with a fishy smell, and of metal nature, enter the hand taiyin lung and hand yangming large intestine meridian (LI)"; "all medicines that are black in color, salty in taste, with a rotten smell, and of water nature, enter the foot shaoyin kidney and foot taiyang bladder meridian (BL)". He also clearly proposed that medicines have "form, nature, and quality", "flavors ascending, descending, floating, and sinking", "root, tip, upper, middle, and lower", "five injuries", "five movements", and "five errors". These understandings have played a positive role in the efficacy and clinical research of medicines.

Huang highly valued the theories and experiences of his predecessors, incorporating the exquisite discussions of Cheng Wu-ji, Zhang Jie-gu, Zhu Dan-xi, Li Dong-yuan, Li Shi-zhen, Yu Jia-yan, and others, yet he did not blindly follow ancient teachings. For example, the Benjing states that lalang grass rhizome can "tonify the middle and benefit qi", but Huang disagreed, saying: "Although it is said to tonify the middle and benefit qi in the Benjing, it is only because the stomach heat is removed and the middle qi naturally recovers, not truly a tonifying effect. Such interpretations of the classics seem unreliable." This argument is quite reasonable. Additionally, Huang did not blindly worship the words of previous sages. For instance, Zhang Jie-gu, Li Dong-yuan, and Zhu Dan-xi all considered Phelloendron Bark as a yin-nourishing substance, and later generations followed suit, viewing it as a tonic. However, Huang strongly refuted this fallacy, believing: "Phelloendron Bark, with its nature derived from Zhiyin (BL67), bitter in taste and cold in nature, carries the harsh energy of deep winter", "Yet today, people, regardless of their actual condition, consider it a miraculous medicine for removing heat and treating fatigue, not realizing that its cold nature can damage qi, reduce appetite, extinguish the true fire of Mingmen (GV4), and impair the spleen and stomach's function of transportation. When the original qi is already deficient, using bitter and cold substances to suppress vitality is extremely harmful." This incisive discussion serves as a wake-up call for physicians who favor bitter and cold medicines, hoping to achieve tonification through 'firming yin'.

Some properties of certain drugs are very similar and easily confused. Through careful analysis, Huang strives to fully grasp their profound implications. For example, both Ophiopogon Tuber and Asparagus Root belong to the category of nourishing yin and clearing heat, but Huang emphasizes that "Ophiopogon Tuber has a strong sweet taste and less cold nature, while Asparagus Root primarily acts on the lungs, and Ophiopogon Tuber acts on both the lungs and the heart." Both Pinellia and Fritillaria Bulb can dispel phlegm, but "Pinellia treats both the spleen and lungs, while Fritillaria Bulb solely clears lung metal; Pinellia uses its pungency, Fritillaria Bulb uses its bitterness; Pinellia uses its warmth, Fritillaria Bulb uses its coolness; Pinellia acts quickly, Fritillaria Bulb acts slowly; Pinellia disperses cold, Fritillaria Bulb clears heat?their qi and flavors, yin and yang, are vastly different." Additionally, distinguishing between the red and white varieties of Peony Root, where the red can purge and disperse while the white excels in tonifying and astringing, and differentiating the head and tail parts of Chinese Angelica, are all discussed in detail. All these examples reflect Huang's rigorous scholarly attitude and rich practical experience.

During his long-term clinical practice, Huang also developed new functions for certain drugs. For example, regarding diverse wormwood herb, besides pointing out its ability to break stasis, regulate menstruation, and promote blood circulation, he also noted that this herb could immediately stop bleeding when applied to incised wounds. This truly reflects Huang's empirical insights. Huang also placed great emphasis on the origin, authenticity, and processing of materia medica. For instance, he stated, "The newly harvested Tangshen from the Taihang Mountains in Shanxi can only clear the lungs and does not have tonic properties, which is entirely different from the genuine, long-preserved Tangshen (Ginseng)." Regarding Saposhnikovia Root, he remarked, "Those produced in the north and moistened by Rehmannia are of good quality, while those exposed to wind and sun are unfit for medicinal use." On the processing of materia medica, he emphasized, "The key to processing lies in moderation," as "insufficient processing makes it difficult to achieve efficacy, while excessive processing may lead to the loss of the drug's properties." He further extended the theory of combination of medicinals to the method of "using drugs to process drugs." Taking Coptis Rhizome as an example, he described ten different processing methods: "For heart fire, use it raw; for deficient fire, stir-fry it with vinegar; for gallbladder fire, stir-fry it with pig gall; for the upper jiao fire, stir-fry it with wine; for the middle jiao fire, stir-fry it with ginger juice; for the lower jiao fire, stir-fry it with saltwater or child's urine; for food accumulation fire, stir-fry it with yellow earth; for damp-heat in the qi aspect, stir-fry it with Evodia Fruit; for damp-heat in the blood aspect, stir-fry it with dry lacquer water; and for red eyes, stir-fry it with human milk." These descriptions hold significant practical value in the field of Chinese medicinals processing of materia medica.

In summary, the characteristics of *Bencao Qiuzhen* lie in its practicality, avoidance of empty talk, and its integration of medical and pharmaceutical knowledge. It is a concise and clinically valuable materia medica monograph, worthy of further study and research.