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Shen Kuo, courtesy name Cunzhong (1031–1095, during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty to Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty), was a native of Qiantang County, Zhejiang (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). He was a renowned politician, thinker, scientist, and medical expert during the Northern Song Dynasty, with extensive research in astronomy, mathematics, calendrics, geography, literature, history, philosophy, and other disciplines. Throughout history, he has been praised as "erudite and versatile, excelling especially in medicine." He holds a prestigious reputation not only in Chinese history but also in the history of world science and technology.

Shen Kuo was born into a family of feudal officials and later served as the county registrar of Shuyang (present-day Shuyang, Jiangsu). During his tenure, he organized the people to construct water conservancy projects and managed the long-troubled Shu River. In the process of river management, he learned much from the masses, recognizing their wisdom and strength, and humbly took "local commoners" as his teachers, laying the foundation for his later achievements in medicine and other fields. At the age of thirty-three, he passed the imperial examination and served in the Zhaowen Library in the capital, where he had access to many medical and other scholarly books. Later, he worked in the Celestial Control Bureau, where he reformed and innovated astronomical instruments, contributing significantly to the advancement of astronomy, calendrics, and other sciences.

Shen Kuo cured many diseases throughout his life. During the Xining era, he was sent as an envoy to the Khitan to demarcate national borders. Utilizing his profound knowledge of history and geography, he identified the ancient Great Wall as the boundary, thwarting the territorial demands and incursions of the Khitan nobility against the Song Dynasty, achieving a diplomatic victory. Politically, he leaned toward progress and supported Wang Anshi's reforms. At the age of fifty-eight, after being demoted, he retired to the Mengxi Garden in Runzhou (present-day Zhenjiang). There, he devoted his life's heart and blood to writing a monumental scientific work, which he named "Mengxi Bitan." Later, he wrote "Supplemental Notes" and "Continued Notes," which together form a comprehensive and highly valuable scientific work covering a wide range of disciplines.

Two volumes of the book are dedicated to medicine, pointing out many errors in ancient Chinese medical texts and revising the species, forms, and functions of many important medicinal plants. He placed great emphasis on investigation and research. When writing "Sushen Liangfang," he "inquired everywhere he went, whether from physicians, commoners, or scholars, even to the homes of recluses in the mountains and forests, seeking knowledge. Every medicine and technique was obtained with utmost sincerity." As a result, this book was highly esteemed in the medical community after its publication.

Shen Kuo's medical academic thoughts are prominently reflected in his "Sushen Liangfang," "Lingyuan Fang," and certain chapters of "Mengxi Bitan." A key characteristic of his medical practice was his commitment to seeking truth from facts and avoiding blind conformity. He strongly opposed subjective "exaggerations" (overstatements). He said, "What I call 'good prescriptions' must be witnessed to be effective before being recorded." In other words, when compiling "Good Prescriptions," he had a standard: only those proven effective through repeated clinical trials were included, while ineffective ones were excluded. This scientific approach to scholarship is highly worthy of emulation by future generations.

Guided by scientific thought, he hoped that the medical community would adopt a serious and cautious attitude toward treating diseases and prescribing medicine. He pointed out, "There are five difficulties in treating diseases: diagnosing the disease, treating the disease, administering medicine, prescribing, and distinguishing medicines." In the preface to his "Good Prescriptions," he elaborated on these five difficulties, noting that they are closely interrelated. To address these difficulties, physicians must fully exert their active role, consider all factors related to the disease, and remain as focused as "catching cicadas on a tree" or as skilled as "carving a mother monkey on an extremely thin branch" to ensure the accuracy of prescriptions and the efficacy of medicines.

Shen's approach to medicine was very comprehensive. He studied various branches of medicine, including internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, and the five sense organs. He learned from both classical medical texts (such as the works of Zhongjing, Sun Si-miao, and Wang Tao) and contemporary folk medical experiences, regardless of their origin. He personally verified these methods through clinical practice, attaching case records (some his own, some collected, and some observed from others). Although most of the formulas recorded in "Good Formulas" were created by others, under each formula, he added his own insights and unique perspectives. For example, the "Five Accumulations Powder" formula is fundamentally similar to Hejiju Fang's "Five Accumulations Powder." However, Shen expanded its indications, broadening the original formula's scope of application. While affirming the clinical efficacy of this formula, Shen pointed out that it was not entirely suitable for severe cases of yang deficiency with cold limbs and spontaneous sweating (i.e., in a state of shock) caused by external wind-cold and internal injury from cold, leading to cold stagnation in the middle jiao. Therefore, he proposed treating such cases with the Five Accumulations Powder combined with Shun Yuan Powder.

Sushen Liangfang is a medical collection compiled by a person from the late Song Dynasty, who gathered Shen Kuo's medical experiences and Su Dongpo's miscellaneous medical discussions. The format resembles medical essays, and the entire book is divided into ten volumes (some historical records mention fifteen volumes, while others suggest eight volumes). The scope of discussion covers both pharmacology and therapeutics. In the field of therapeutics, it involves internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, and the five sense organs, focusing primarily on effective folk remedies and single prescriptions. The book includes many case studies and discusses practical methods such as moxibustion. Additionally, he also authored "Ling Yuan Fang" in twenty volumes.