Analysis of Chemical Knowledge in Sheng Nong’s Herbal Classic and Its Position in the History of Chemistry
WU Si-Mei*
School of Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangdong Provincial Demonstration Center for Chemical Experiment Teaching, Guangzhou 510006, China
Abstract The Sheng Nong’s Herbal Classic,as the earliest extant pharmacological classic in China,was compiled during the Han Dynasty and systematically documents the properties,flavors,therapeutic effects,and applications of 365 medicinal substances.Although centered on medical practice,it embodies profound chemical wisdom,particularly evident in the identification of mineral drugs,observations of material transformation patterns,and drug processing techniques.This paper examines the records of mineral drugs such as cinnabar,mercury,and realgar in the text to explore the understanding of chemical substances,phenomena of chemical reactions,and early chemical operational practices involved therein.
WU Si-Mei. Analysis of Chemical Knowledge in Sheng Nong’s Herbal Classic and Its Position in the History of Chemistry[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2026, 47(10): 124-129.
