In 1972, a batch of cultural relics was unearthed from a Han Dynasty tomb in Wuwei, Gansu. According to the research by the organizers, this tomb is believed to be from the early Eastern Han Dynasty. Along with other cultural relics, a set of medical prescriptions on bamboo slips was also unearthed. Originally unnamed, it was later named Wuwei Handai Yijian by the organizers. According to the "Overview of Bamboo Slip Organization" in the book, "The original bamboo slip book was already disorganized, and there were no numbering marks on the slips, making it almost impossible to trace the original sequence of the book. After sorting, there are now 92 bamboo slips, including 78 slips and 14 tablets."

The book contains more than thirty medical prescriptions from various fields, including Zabing, wounds, women's diseases, eye diseases, acupuncture, and plasters. Over a hundred types of medicinal substances are used. Most of the listed prescriptions are unnamed, still retaining the characteristics of ancient, simple empirical formulas. However, there are also a few prescriptions that have begun to take on the meaning of named formulas. For example, the "Bai Shui Hou Fang" (White Water Marquis Prescription) notes at the end: "This is the prescription of General Geng of Jianwei, a highly restricted formula, not to be passed on even for a thousand gold." This indicates the value of this prescription as a "restricted formula" and its transmission. This prescription later appeared in the Tang Dynasty Sun Si-miaoQian Jin Yi (Supplement to the Thousand Gold Prescriptions), Volume 12, Chapter 2, as the "Zhou Bai Shui Hou Fang," with slight modifications in the ingredients, showing the long history of its transmission. There is also the "Qian Jin Plaster Prescription," where the term "Qian Jin" (Thousand Gold) signifies its preciousness, also indicating the meaning of a named formula. This shows that medical prescriptions were beginning to transition from unnamed to named formulas, and also demonstrates that medical prescriptions were evolving from purely empirical foundations toward theoretical and mature development. It also reveals the developmental process and lineage of medical prescriptions, from those recorded in Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), to those in Wuwei Handai Yijian, and to the prescriptions included in the works of Zhang Zhong-jing at the end of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Wuwei Handai Yijian holds significant documentary value for studying the development and lineage of Chinese medical formulas.