The origin of medicinal reference is yet to be verified, but it was already being used in the book "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" at least. For example, the ginger and jujube in the Guizhi Tang is a typical example of using medicinal reference. However, at that time and for a long time afterwards, there was no concept of medicinal reference. The widespread use of medicinal reference began in the Song Dynasty when the government established the "Bureau of Medicine and Formulas" and the "Bureau of Public Welfare" pharmacies. The promulgation of the first official compendium of prepared medicines, the "Taiping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang," promoted the development of prepared medicines and also led to the widespread use of medicinal reference. According to statistics from scholars, the "Taiping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang" of the Song Dynasty recorded 788 kinds of prepared medicines, and almost every one of them described the content and administration methods of medicinal reference, involving over 90 kinds of Chinese herbs. It became a model for the combination of prepared medicines and medicinal reference. For example, Ba Zheng San uses a lampwick to conduct heat downward; Shi Xiao San is taken with vinegar to guide the medicine to the liver meridian and effectively treat blood stasis pain; Liang Ge San is taken with white honey to not only relieve the severity of nitrate and sulfur, but also nourish the stomach fluids and alleviate dryness... After the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, medical practitioners began to add medicinal references to boiled Chinese medicines or use them to cook Chinese medicines. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the use of medicinal reference had become more common. The famous physician Wang Haogu of the Yuan Dynasty pointed out in his discussion of Qian Niu Zi that this medicine "enters the qi when guided by qi-tonifying herbs and enters the blood when guided by Da Huang."
It should be noted that there is an overlap between the concepts of medicinal reference and guiding herbs, so many people think that medicinal reference is the same as guiding herbs. However, this is not the case. Medicinal references may have the function of guiding herbs, but they may also not have this function. Medicinal references generally have one or more functions, such as guiding meridians, enhancing therapeutic effects, harmonizing the spleen and stomach, detoxifying, and correcting taste. At the same time, medicinal references are mostly common medicines in daily life, and many of them are also food.
Ancient physicians emphasized the addition of medicinal references to decoctions
In the Ming Dynasty, Sun Zhihong mentioned various precautions for decocting medicines, and also specifically advised, "If there are external medicines that need to be ground and incorporated, as well as medicinal references, it is extremely important to check them carefully."
"Medical Narration" quotes "Medical Stages" and mentions the role of medicinal references in decoctions, stating, "A decoction with a medicinal reference is like a boat with an oar." It also suggests that "ancient people used decoctions and must include a medicinal reference." The Guizhi Tang in the "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" uses fresh ginger and jujube, which not only assist in the diaphoretic function of the decoction but also harmonize the spleen and stomach. It is a typical example of using medicinal references. Li Dongyuan's Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang also uses ginger and jujube, but not for diaphoresis. Its intention should be to assist in tonifying the spleen and stomach. Medicinal references have many wonderful uses that should not be ignored.
In the Ming Dynasty, Li
