The traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is an integral part of the Chinese culture. Over the past millenniums, TCM practitioners in China have used various therapeutic approaches such as acupuncture and herbal products to treat and address health issues. Many food items have been used in TCM for their medicinal effects. The popularity of TCM and herbal medicine have also extended overseas with the Chinese immigrants and TCM pharmacies are fixtures in Chinatowns around the world.
Much of the TCM theories and practices are derived from ancient Chinese medicine books, often referred to as “BENCAO”. In the course of over 2,000 years, there have emerged more than 1,000 books and monographs on herbal medicine, of which 300 or so have remained today with The Compendium of Materia Medicine by Li Shizhen, a famous TCM practitioner of the Ming Dynasty, being the best known.
At this lecture, Dr. Li Lin, a TCM specialist and an associate professor at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, will relate the stories surrounding The Compendium of Materia Medica as well as a few other medical classics and discuss the modern use of TCM. Dr. Li is the author of more than 10 books on TCM.
近时，歌手刘畊宏的《本草纲目》毽子舞火遍全网，中国人大多听说过《本草纲目》，但究竟何为“本草”，了解的人也许不多。华美人文学会特邀中医药专家李林博士于美东时间2022年6月11日晚8时至9时半（北京时间6月12日早8时至9时半）带领大家走进这个伴随中国人度过长久的岁月，渗透在我们生活中的“本草”世界，带领大家认识“本草”背后的那些人，那些物，以及那些传说。
中华民族文化受中医药的浸染如此之深，以至于不管生活在何处的华人，一样信奉所食之物有寒、热、温、凉之分，一样崇尚银耳、燕窝、花胶等滋补之物；而药香袭人，挂着遵古雷公炮制招牌的各处唐人街中药字号中，人参、三七、海马、鹿鞭皆为必备之物，这些由中药透发出的民族气息，与华人社会的方方面面息息相通。
而古代中药典籍常以“本草”命名。两千多年来，中国出现过上千种本草文献，数千种药物，现存的古代本草专著也不下三百种，蔚为大观。其中明代李时珍《本草纲目》更是享誉世界。有意思的是，本草典籍和药物虽然数量繁多，但并不凌乱，几乎每一本、每一味的发展源流都历历可数，就像一幅长江入海图一样，脉络清晰。
主讲人李林，南京中医药大学博士，全国老中医药专家学术经验继承人、国家级一流本科课程主讲教师，国家传统中医药技能比赛执裁、江苏省“青蓝工程”优秀青年骨干教师、香港浸会大学访问学者。研究领域为中药炮制机理、中药饮片质量控制等。出版《中药文献检索》、《百药炮制》、《药食本草》、《中药加工与炮制学》等教材与专著十余部，主持和参与国家自然科学基金、公益性行业科研专项、国家重点研发计划、教育部协同育人项目等国家级课题20余项，参与建设国家级中药炮制技术传承基地。