History of medicinal wines

The main feature of Chinese medicinal wines is the addition of Chinese herbs during the brewing process or in the wine. In terms of how medicinal wines are used, they can be categorized into three main types, which can be taken internally, externally, and can be used both internally and externally. The medicines used in tonic wines are well-matched, and according to their functions, they can be divided into the types of qi tonic, blood tonic, yin tonic, yang tonic and qi and blood double tonic. < < Museum > > had recorded: three people in the past, the fog morning line, a person drinking, a person full of food, a person with an empty stomach. Empty stomach of death, full of disease, drinkers healthy. This wine potential to ward off evil, better than other things." From this record can be seen on the role of wine for health, but more illustrative of the close relationship between wine and medicine of the intrinsic factors can also be explored from the following points.

Food and medicine in one: medicine is often bitter and difficult to be accepted by the people, but the wine is generally popular food, wine and medicine combination, make up for the defects of the bitter taste of the medicine, but also improve the flavor of the wine. They complement each other. Frequent medication, people from the psychological hard to accept, but the drugs into the wine made of medicinal wine, often drink, not only to strengthen the body, but also enjoy it, is a life of a fast thing.

Wine is the longest of all medicines: <<Han Shu - food >> said: "wine, the longest of all medicines". This can be understood as in the many drugs, wine is the best effect of medicine, on the other hand, wine can also improve the effect of other drugs. Wine and medicine are inextricably linked. In ancient times, wine was a kind of medicine, and the ancients said, "Wine is used to cure diseases". The ancient character for "medicine" is "____", which is itself a kind of brewing wine. One of the purposes of brewing wine in ancient times was for medicinal purposes. It can be seen that in ancient times, wine played an important role in medical treatment. Most of the ancient medicinal wines were brewed, and the medicines were mixed with the wine mash to ferment, and during the fermentation process, the medicinal ingredients were constantly dissolved before they could be fully utilized. In addition to "wine" and "sweet", there was also "sacrificial spirit" in the Yin Shang. Apparitions were made from black millet and tulip grass (also a traditional Chinese medicine). This is the earliest documented medicinal wine. Apparitions were often used for rituals and divination. Apparitions also had the effect of repelling evil and preserving the body. It is also recorded in the Zhou Rites: "When the king died, he made an apparition". That is to say, after the death of the emperor, with the sacrificial spirit wine bath his body, can be a longer period of time to maintain non-corrosion.

From the Changsha Mawangdui No. 3 Han Tomb unearthed a medical specialty, later known as <<fifty-two disease prescription >>, is believed to be the end of the 3rd century BC, the Qin and Han Dynasty transcripts, which used wine no less than 35 prescriptions, of which at least 5 parties can be considered a wine formula for the treatment of snakebite, gangrene, scabies, itching and other diseases. Among them there are medicinal wines for internal use as well as for external use.

<<health formula>> is one of the Mawangdui Western Han Dynasty tomb excavated silk book, which **** six kinds of medicinal wine brewing methods, but unfortunately most of these medicinal text broken, only "mash LiZhong" is more intact, this formula **** including ten processes.

But it is worth emphasizing that most of the medicinal wines of the ancient times were fermented by adding medicines to the raw materials for brewing. Instead of the maceration method commonly used in later times. The main reason for this may be that in ancient times it was not easy to keep wine, and the maceration method could easily lead to the rancidity of the wine. Before the ingredients of the medicine were fully dissolved, the wine went bad. The use of drugs and brewing raw materials at the same time fermentation, due to the longer fermentation time, the drug ingredients can be fully dissolved.

China's medical text <<Huang Di Nei Jing >> in the <<Su Wen - soup mash sweet theory >> special chapter has pointed out: "since the ancient saint's work of the soup mash sweet, thought to prepare for the ear". This means that the reason why the ancients brewed mash wine, is designed for medicine and spare.

<<Huang Di Nei Jing>> there are "left angle hair wine", the corpse syncope, "mash wine" for the meridian can not be, the disease is not benevolent." Chicken Yagyu wine" for dropsy.

Three, the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty before the medicinal wine

The use of wine decoction method and wine impregnation method began at least in the Han Dynasty. Around the Han Dynasty, the book of <<Shennong Ben Cao Jing>> there is a paragraph in the following exposition: "the nature of the medicine is suitable for those who are pills, suitable for those who are scattered, suitable for those who are boiled in water, suitable for those who are impregnated with wine". Impregnated with wine, on the one hand, can make the solubility of some medicinal ingredients in the medicinal herbs, on the other hand, the wine line of the medicinal potential, the therapeutic effect can also be improved. Han Dynasty famous doctor Zhang Zhongjing's <<Jin Gui Yao Liao>> a book, there are many examples of impregnation and decoction method. "turtle armor decoction pill formula", to turtle armor more than 20 flavors of medicine for the end, take calcined stove under the ash a bucket, wine a dendro five buckets, soak ash, wait for half of the wine exhaustion, with turtle armor in the middle of the boil to make the pan rotten as glue, twisted juice, inside the medicine, fried for the pill. There is also a case of "red and blue flower wine formula", is also a wine decoction of drugs for drinking. < < Jin Gui Yao Liao > > also recorded a number of matters related to drinking alcohol contraindications, such as "tortoise meat can not be combined with wine and fruit to eat," "drinking white wine, eating raw leeks, people increase the disease," "summer months, drunk, sweating, shall not be cold water to wash with the body and make the fan, that is, into the disease." Do not eat after drunkenness, hair cold". These practical knowledge for the protection of people's health plays an important role.

Tao Hongjing, a famous herbalist during the Qi and Liang dynasties in the Southern Dynasties, summed up the experience of the former cold immersion method of preparing medicinal wine, in <<Materia Medica Collection Jingzhu >> put forward a set of cold immersion method of medicinal wine routines: "Where the impregnation of medicinal wine, all must be fine cut, raw silk bag, is into the wine seal, with the cold and summer days, depending on the number of its strong, can be _ _ _ out, do not have to wait to the end of the wine also. The dregs can be stormy slightly pounded, more stained drink, can also be served loose". This passage notes the crushing degree of the herbs, maceration and maceration between the temperature of the maceration for the speed of leaching, the effect of leaching. And proposed a number of impregnation, in order to fully leach the active ingredients in the herbs, thus making up for the defects of the cold immersion method itself, such as the medicinal ingredients leaching is not complete, the dregs of the medicine itself to absorb the wine and the waste caused by the liquor. From this passage, it is clear that at that time the cold immersion method of medicinal wine had already reached a high technical level.

During the first year of Emperor Shundei's reign in the Eastern Han Dynasty (126-144), Zhang Ling (Zhang Daoling), a native of Peiguo Feng (present-day Fengxian County, Jiangsu Province), advocated the Way of the Righteous Alliance on Mount Heming in the county of Danyi, which is commonly known as the Way of the Five Pieces of Rice and is also known as the Way of the Heavenly Master. Legend has it that when Zhang Taoist was practicing and preaching at Mount Heming, the local plague ravaged the area, devastating the lives of the people and emptying nine of the ten rooms. In order to save the people from the plague, Tianshi integrated his own Jin Dan technique with the human medical thinking, which is very rich in Taoist characteristics, and developed a mysterious herbal formula for dispelling illnesses and strengthening the body. Zhang Tianshi soaked the medicine in wine and gave it to the people, and the plague was wiped out. The people felt lighter and healthier after the disease was removed, and their spirits were renewed and stronger than before. Because of the medicine into the wine, wine with medicine line, medicine to promote the wine force, so that the wine mellow sweet, refreshing and efficacy of the miracle, the people remember the Master's grace to save the lives of the people, praised the wine as "wonderful Qin God wine", that is, for the current famous wonderful Qin medicine wine.

The earliest record of the hot immersion method of medicinal wine is probably the Northern Wei <<Qimin Essentials >> an example of "pepper wine", the method of dried ginger, pepper and pomegranate juice into the wine, "fire warming to get the temperature". Although this was not yet a medicinal wine, it was passed down in folklore as a method, and may have been used in the preparation of medicinal wines. The hot immersion method did become the main method of preparing medicinal wines later on.

Wine was not only used as an internal medicine, but also as an anesthetic. Legend has it that Hua Tuo used "Ma Bo San", which was taken with wine. Hua Tuo found that when a drunkard treated an injury, there was no sense of pain, which inspired him to develop the "Ma Bo San". During the Tang and Song dynasties, the brewing of medicinal wine and tonic wine was more prevalent. This period of some of the medical masterpieces such as < < preparation of a thousand gold formula > > < < < foreign Taiwan secret > > < < < Taiping Sheng Hui Fang > > < < < Shengji General Records > > are included a large number of medicinal wines and wine formulas and method of making. Such as <<Prepare a thousand gold formula>> Volume VII set "wine sweet" special section, Volume XII set "wind deficiency miscellaneous tonic wine, decoction" special section. <<Thousand gold wing formula>>Volume 16 set "wine" special section. <<Wai Tai Secret Essentials>> Volume XXXI set up "ancient and modern wine" special section.

Song dynasty < < < Taiping Sheng Hui Fang > > set up as many as six special section of medicine and wine. In addition to these special section, there are a large number of loose prescription in other chapters. During the Tang and Song dynasties, due to the strong culture of drinking, alcoholism in the society is also more and more, alcoholism, alcohol cessation seems to be very necessary, so in these medical writings, alcoholism, alcohol cessation formula also came into being. According to some statistics, there are more than one hundred prescriptions in these four books.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, the proportion of compound medicinal wines with more medicinal flavors increased significantly, which was a significant feature at that time. The increase in the number of compound prescriptions indicates the improvement of the overall level of the preparation of medicinal wines. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the methods of preparing medicinal wines included brewing, cold immersion and hot immersion. The former two were mainly used. In <<Sheng Ji General Records>> there are many cases of medicinal wine using water heating "boil out method". Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, with the economy, cultural progress, medicine has a new development. Pharmaceutical wine in the organization of previous experience, the creation of new formulas, the development of the preparation method have made new achievements, so that the preparation of medicinal wine, reached a higher level.

During this period, China had already accumulated a large amount of medical literature, and the valuable experience of the predecessors was generally valued by the medical practitioners of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, and thus a number of writings were published during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, which made an important contribution to the collation of the experience of the predecessors. <<Drinking meals are just about to>> > is China's first monograph on nutrition. *** three volumes. Tianli three years (1330) publication.

Hu Si Hui for Mongolian nutritionist, served as the court dietary doctor, will be tired of the pro-servant into the use of exotic delicacies, soup and paste decoction, and all the herbs, famous doctors, and the day must be used in the cereal meat and fruits and vegetables, take its flavor tonic, integrated a book. The book on drinking taboo content, is very reasonable. Has an important value. Some of the complementary wine in the book, although there is no detailed records, but are quite effective, in <<Materia Medica>> in the detailed records.

The great Ming Dynasty physician Li Shizhen wrote the world-famous masterpiece <<Materia Medica>>,*** fifty-two volumes, Wanli six years (1578) into the book. The book set Ming and successive generations of China's pharmacology, botany, widely involved in food science, nutrition, chemistry and other disciplines. The book collects a large number of medicinal wine recipes of the predecessors and contemporaries in the collection of accompanying formulas. Volume 25, under the wine article, there is a "with all the medicinal wine formula" of the special item, he in line with the "collection of its brief, for reference.

Ming Dynasty Zhu Di and others of the < < Pu Ji Fang > >, Fang Xian's < < strange and effective prescription > >, Wang Kentang < < < evidence of the quasi-cordonary > > and other writings recorded a large number of previous medicinal wine formulas. The Ming and Qing dynasties are also a period when new formulas for medicinal wines are constantly emerging. Ming Dynasty Wu Min's <<Fusheng Jing Fang>> Gong Tingxian's <<<10,000 diseases back to spring,<<<Longevity Bao Yuan>>, the Qing Dynasty Sun Wei's <<<Liang Pei collection of experience of the Divine Fang>>, Tao Chengxi's <<<Huizitang experience of the party >>, Xiang Youqing's << <Tongshou Records of medicinal wine. lt; Tong Shou Lu>>, Wang Mengying's < < with the rest of the home diet spectrum >> > and so on are recorded in a number of times the Qing Dynasty appeared new formula. These new formula has two characteristics worth putting forward:1 tonic medicinal wine increased significantly. The Ming Dynasty Wu ___ of & lt; & lt; Fu Shou Jing Fang & gt; & gt; medicine and wine door contained medicine and wine party 9, although not much, but the set of the formula is very fine, which has the famous "prolonged age Jubao wine", Shi Guogong medicine wine, and so on. Wu, Gong's two recorded medicinal wine formula, for the Ming and Qing dynasties, the prosperity of tonic medicinal wine played a positive role.

In the bibliography of the Qing Dynasty listed earlier, there are also a considerable number of tonic wines, among which the return to the round chrysanthemum wine, life-extension wine, ginseng and antler wine, wine to nourish the spirit of the wine, healthy walking wine and so on are better tonic medicinal wines. Compared with the medicinal wines before the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this period can be said to be a period of prosperity for tonic medicinal wines.2 Be cautious of using hot and dry medicines. During the Tang and Song dynasties, medicinal wines were often made with hot and dry medicines, such as aconite, epiphyllum, cinnamon and dry ginger. Such drugs, if abused, will often hurt the blood and yin. Jin Yuan period of China's medical community academic debate is very active, the abuse of warm and dry drugs by many famous medical practitioners criticized the trend. This had a profound impact on the medicine of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, many medicinal wine formulas of the Ming and Qing dynasties were composed of calming medicines as well as medicines that tonify and nourish yin, so that they could be applied to different illnesses and conditions of the body, allowing medicinal wines to play a role in a wider range of fields.

The Ming and Qing Dynasties also saw the emergence of a number of monographs on the theory of formulae, with the authors focusing on the study of the laws of medicinal formulae, combining excellent formulae and theoretically expounding the rationale for the use of medicines and the laws of compounding, such as the Ming Dynasty's Wu Kun's << medical formulae>> and the Qing Dynasty's Wang Ang's << medical formulae>>. This monograph expounds on the formula also involves medicinal wine. <<Medical prescription examination>> a book on the seven kinds of medicinal wine formulae for the rationale for the grouping of medicines and efficacy of the main treatment, based on, including the tiger bone wine, Shi Guogong wine, goji berry wine, safflower wine, pig cream wine, and so on. This has played a role in promoting the study of medicinal wine formulas and guiding their correct use. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the method of preparing medicinal wines was highlighted by the common use of hot dipping method. Appropriately raising the impregnation temperature can soften and expand the tissues of botanical herbs, increase the speed of dissolution and diffusion in the process of leaching, which is conducive to the leaching of active ingredients, and also destroy some enzymes in the herbs and enhance the stability of medicinal wines. Therefore, the use of hot dipping method is a scientific method for many medicines to have a better effect of leaching. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government has attached great importance to the development of traditional Chinese medicine, and established a number of Chinese medicine hospitals, Chinese medicine colleges and universities. The opening of pharmaceutical factories, the development of Chinese medicine, so that the development of medicinal wine presents a new situation. The brewing of medicinal wine, not only inherited the traditional production experience, but also absorbed the modern science and technology, so that the production of medicinal wine tends to be standardized. In order to strengthen the quality management, the standardization of medicinal wines is also listed as an important element of the national pharmacopoeia. As the production units of medicinal wines collaborate with medical and scientific research departments in scientific research, the reliability of clinical efficacy is guaranteed. Especially in the past ten years, with the efforts of Chinese medicine practitioners and medicinal wine researchers***, the history of the development of Chinese medicinal wines, the characteristics and application of Chinese medicinal wines, the process and quality of Chinese medicinal wines and other aspects of the more comprehensive generalization and summary of the publication of a number of monographs, for example, this book, "The Complete Book of Chinese Medicinal Wines", since its publication in 1991, ***9 printings, has become a best-selling Chinese medicine monographs. It has become a best-seller among Chinese medicine monographs. The publication and distribution of these works has in turn promoted the deep-level development of the medicinal wine industry. Not only the emergence of a number of reliable quality, therapeutic effect, popular with patients and the masses of medicinal wine products, and in the toxicology of medicinal wine research, pharmacological research and quality monitoring, production technology and other aspects of rapid development.

The development of medicinal wines has not only gradually met the needs of the people, but also hit the international market and won the welcome of international friends. We believe that in the near future, with the Chinese national characteristics and long history, and in line with the modern scientific level of Chinese medicinal wines, and the development of Chinese medicine as a whole, for the health of mankind as long as life, to make new contributions.