Illustrated Classics of Materia Medica, compiled under the direction of Su Song in the Northern Song Dynasty, is a milestone work in pharmaceutical literature, pioneering a new paradigm of “one drug, one illustration; mutual verification between text and image” for materia medica compilation. This study presents the first systematic collation and thematic analysis of the marine traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) documented therein. Employing philological methods and based on a narrow definition of marine TCMs, the research identifies 44 marine TCMs recorded in the Illustrated Classics of Materia Medica. Analysis reveals that these drugs are primarily distributed across the sections of insects & fish, herbs, and minerals & stones, with animal-derived medicines, particularly mollusks, constituting the majority. Their medicinal properties exhibit the core pattern of being “salty and cold in nature, predominantly attributing to the liver and kidney meridians.” Their efficacies are concentrated in three major categories: clearing heat, resolving phlegm and relieving cough and asthma, and tonifying and replenishing. The theoretical framework of the properties of Marine TCM has been initially constructed. The study elucidates the pivotal role of the Illustrated Classics of Materia Medica in bridging past and future in the historical development of marine TCMs: compared to the Newly Revised Materia Medica, it added 14 new marine medicines such as razor clam, carapax eretmochelydis, mussel, and laid the documentary foundation for the integrative development seen in the Classified Materia Medica. Its academic contributions are mainly manifested in providing a basis for morphological textual research through its printed illustrations, deepening the understanding of medicines via detailed descriptions and rigorous error correction, and advancing marine TCMs from mere knowledge documentation towards quality control and clinical application by discussing authenticity and quality, integrating formulas with medicines, and emphasizing geo-authenticity. This paper systematically expounds the Illustrated Classics of Materia Medica’ outstanding contributions to the variety collation, knowledge system construction, and early application practices of marine TCMs, providing historical reference and academic support for the contemporary resource verification, quality evaluation, and innovative development of marine TCMs.

Illustrated Classics of Materia Medica  /  marine traditional Chinese medicine  /  clearing heat  /  resolving phlegm and relieving cough and asthma  /  tonifying and replenishing