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Also bencao; pen-ts’ao.

1. Collectively, the items used in Chinese medicinal remedies, so called because herbs constitute the majority; materia medica.

2. Any traditional work consisting of a systematic listing of Chinese medicinals with illustrations, e.g., The Divine Farmer’s Roots and Grasses Classic (神农本草经 shén nóng běn cǎo jīng), The Comprehensive Roots and Grasses (本草纲目 běn cǎo gāng mù), and The Essential Roots and Grasses (本草备要 běn cǎo bèi yào).

Etymology

Chinese: 本 běn, root, stock, stem, base; 草 cǎo, herb, grass. The term means basic herbs, herbs comprising the majority of Chinese medicinals. Bencao is the modern Pīnyīn transliteration, and pen-ts’ao is the older Wade-Giles transcription.

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