1. What is Compendium of Materia Medica?
Compendium of Materia Medica is a masterpiece of pharmacology in ancient China, written by Li Shizhen, a famous pharmacologist in Ming Dynasty. There are 53 volumes in the book, about 1 1000 kinds of drugs and more than 350 kinds of animals and plants are recorded.
2. What is artificial selection?
Artificial selection, also known as artificial screening and artificial elimination, refers to the process of selecting individuals in order to obtain varieties or parents that are more in line with human interests in the process of purposeful reproduction of plants or animal groups.
3. How was Compendium of Materia Medica cited as artificial selection?
After long-term practice, China ancient physicians have accumulated rich knowledge and experience in pharmacology, and summarized them into Compendium of Materia Medica. Compendium of Materia Medica records the properties of drugs and their adaptation to diseases in great detail, including not only a large number of natural medicinal materials such as plants and minerals, but also the medicinal value of various foods and ingredients such as animals, insects, fish, fossils, meat, vegetables and fruits. All these provide very useful information and reference standards for artificial selection, and make it more convenient for human beings to select, screen and reproduce various medicinal materials and edible materials.
4. What is the significance of Compendium of Materia Medica in artificial selection?
Compendium of Materia Medica, as an important part of China's ancient medical culture, has had a far-reaching impact on people in various fields such as farmers, doctors and naturalists in ancient China. In the field of artificial selection, the knowledge system of Compendium of Materia Medica has also been widely used, which has made important contributions to the cultivation and reproduction of ancient animals and plants, animal husbandry, sericulture, tea industry and other related fields in China. At the same time, the nature and usage of drugs recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica also promoted the development of global medical cause.