Song Materia Medica Pharmacological System

Timeline

1. 960–992Kaifeng · Northern Song capitalThe Northern Song court organized the compilation of large formularies in Kaifeng, exemplified by Taiping Shenghui Fang, gathering over ten thousand internal and surgical prescriptions, establishing the authoritative status of officially compiled medical literature and linking with the Imperial Medicine Bureau's medicinal supply system.
2. 1057–1082Kaifeng · ChinaTang Shenwei's Zhenglei Bencao was printed in the Northern Song and recognized by the court, cross-verifying materia medica entries from successive dynasties with prescription examples, forming a searchable and collatable pharmacological knowledge base that became a model for later materia medica compilations.
3. 1127–1279Lin'an · Southern Song capitalAfter the Southern Song moved the capital to Lin'an, materia medica collation and formulary printing continued under the Imperial Medical Bureau and Huimin Bureau systems; around 1211–1220, Lin'an remained one of the core nodes for the circulation of materia medica literature and preparation of imperial medicines nationwide.