Li Shizhen(1518~1593), styled Dongbi, literary name Binhu, a native of Qizhou (present Qichun Town, Hubei Province), was a prominent pharmacist in the Ming Dynasty and a great natural scientist in the cultural history of the world.

李时珍(1518 ~ 1593 )，字东璧，号濒湖。湖广蕲州(今湖北蕲春)人。明代卓越的医药学家，世界文化史上伟大的自然科学家。

He had consummate medical skill and made intensive study of medical classics. After trekking over a long distance to cull medicinal herbs, he wrote the world-famous monumental masterpiece Bencaogangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) after 27 years of hard work.

李时珍精通医术，钻研医典，万里跋涉，采方问药，历时27年写成了举世闻名的中医药著作《本草纲目》。

Acclaimed as the "Chinese Encyclopedia" of the 16th century by Darwin, it included indications and prescriptions of 1 892 medicinal herbs, among which 374 were newly added.

被达尔文誉为16世纪的“中国百科全书”。此书收入1 892种药物，其中新增药物374种。

There were more than 1 100 medicine illustrations and over 11 000 recipes.

药物插图1 1 00余幅，11 000多个药方。

In the course of compiling the work, Li Shizhen made his endeavors all the way throughout the country to pick up specimens in the wild and to search and collect folk recipes. His classifications of medicine were based on fairly scientific approaches.

他采用比较科学的方法对药物进行分类，每种药物后面附有用法和方剂，就药论治，按证寻药，创立了本草学的新体系。

Each type of medicine was followed by an explanation of usage and dosage. He established a new system for the study of Chinese herbal medicine. This book was completed during the course of struggle against Taoism. Denouncing sharply the absurd practice of taking "magic pills" for longevity, Li Shizhen disclosed the secret of the so-called magical prescription and catholicon and the claim that those who ate longevity herbs would become immortal.

《本草纲目》是在与道教斗争中写成的，李时珍痛斥了道教“长生久视”的诳言，揭开了所谓“仙方”、“神药”的秘密，从而戳穿了“羽化登仙”的骗术。

In addition Li Shizhen wrote six other medical works:Binhu Study on the Pulse, Research on the Eight Extra-Channels and Research on the Pulse Diagnosis on the diagnosis by feeling the pulse, On the Three Visceral Cavities Housing the Internal Organs, Exeaminations of the Gate of Vitality on the theory of triple burners, and Binhu Medical Cases on the experiences of medical treatment. The former three are still in existence.

另外，李时珍还有6部医学著作，关于脉学的有《濒湖脉学》、《奇经八脉考》、《脉决考证》，关于三焦命门理论的有《三焦客难》、《命门考》，还有关于临证医疗经验的《濒湖医案》，现存前3部。