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Bencao Mengquan was compiled by the physician Chen Jia-mo from Qimen (now Qimen, Anhui) in the 44th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1565), based on the sequence of Wang Lun's materia medica compendium. Chen found that the several popular materia medica works of the time did not meet his needs for teaching, as he stated in the preface of this book: "For example, Daguan (i.e., Daguan Bencao) is profound but lacks focus; compendium (materia medica compendium, compiled by Wang Lun in 1495, the 8th year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty) is concise but not comprehensive; as for compilation (materia medica compilation, compiled by Wang Ji around 1523-1528, the 2nd to 7th years of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty), I appreciate its balance of detail and brevity, and its meticulousness, but it indiscriminately incorporates various sources without a definitive conclusion, none of which can be considered a complete work." Therefore, based on materia medica compendium and other books, he absorbed the strengths of various authors, combined with his own insights, and revised it into 12 volumes. After seven years and five drafts, he completed the book at the age of 80, making it an important work of Chen Jia-mo. The title "Mengquan" indicates that it was intended for beginners.

This book was originally Chen Jia-mo's lecture notes on materia medica for teaching his disciples, comprising 12 volumes, documenting 742 medicinal substances, systematically describing the origin, collection, storage, authenticity identification, processing of materia medica, prohibited combinations, ten kinds of formula, and administration methods of various medicinal materials. It is categorized into ten sections: herbs (upper, middle, lower), grains, vegetables, fruits, minerals, beasts, birds, insects, fish, and humans, with illustrations for 447 medicinal substances. Items such as Chicken's Gizzard-Skin for digestion, slender dutchman's pipe root for promoting qi and relieving pain, and Carbonized Human Hair for stopping bleeding and dissipating heat were first recorded in this book. Much of the content is written in rhymed couplets for easy memorization.

Bencao Mengquan had a significant impact on the development of Chinese medicinals processing of materia medica in later generations. Chen Jia-mo provided clear discussions on the role of adding auxiliary materials in the processing of materia medica, not only introducing ancient and contemporary experiences but also often presenting his own original insights. Some valuable experiences were fully incorporated into Li Shi-zhen's Bencao Gangmu and Miao Xi-yong's Paozhi Dafa. The proper processing of Chinese medicinals directly affects their clinical efficacy. Chen Jia-mo was the first to theoretically propose the principle of processing materia medica: "The processing of medicinal substances should be moderate; insufficient processing makes efficacy hard to achieve, while excessive processing may lead to the loss of their properties." Control of time and temperature is one of the core foundational theories in the field of Chinese medicinals processing. He summarized previous experiences with fire and adopted local cooking methods, advocating for the use of "intense fire," which refers to a continuous and vigorous flame.

Before the Ming Dynasty, there was a lack of systematic classification of Chinese medicinals processing methods. To facilitate the mastery and application of various processing methods, Chen Jia-mo summarized the processing methods into three categories: "fire processing includes four methods: calcining, roasting, baking, and stir-frying; water processing includes three methods: soaking, steeping, and washing; fire and water processing includes two methods: steaming and boiling. Although there are many other methods, they all fundamentally fall under these two categories." This marked the beginning of the classification of Chinese medicinals processing methods.

Bencao Mengquan had a significant impact on the future of Chinese medicine and Chinese medicinals. Li Shi-zhen praised the book, stating, "It is rightly named Mengquan, truly living up to its name." Chen Jia-mo was also recognized as a renowned ancient pharmacologist because of this book.