[Species of Chinese materia medica resources based on the fourth national survey of Chinese materia medica resources].

This article outlined the composition and species characteristics of Chinese materia medica(CMM) resources identified in the fourth national survey of CMM resources. The survey was conducted based on field investigations and office collation, adhering to the "four principles", which emphasized the existence of survey records, voucher specimens, actual photographs, and evidence of medicinal use, so as to summarize the species of CMM resources and ensure the scientific integrity and accuracy of the results. According to the results, China had a total of 18 817 CMM resources, including 15 321 medicinal plants, 826 medicinal fungi, 2 517 medicinal animals, and 153 medicinal minerals. Additionally, the fourth national survey of CMM resources also conducted specialized investigations on 3 151 species of unique medicinal plants, 464 species of rare and endangered medicinal plants, and 196 new species in China. These latest statistics on these CMM resources will provide the most up-to-date foundational data for the protection, management, development, and utilization of these resources over an extended period, offering scientific guidance for the development of the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) industry.

Pharmaceutical Terminology in Ancient and Medieval Time - andrachne, chrysocolla and Others.

Ancient and medieval pharmacological and medical texts contain a substantial amount of plant and mineral names. In some cases, the identification is straightforward. But for the majority of the data, we are unable to identify these ingredients with high certainty. In this paper, we discuss a selection of plant and mineral names both from a humanities and sciences point of view. In one case, the scientists were even able to examine a plant in situ. The conclusion of our paper is that a close collaboration between sciences and humanities is essential to avoid mistakes in the identification of materia medica.