十八反歌贵贱殊。半蒌贝蔹芨攻乌。藻戟遂芫俱战草。诸参辛芍叛藜芦。
医之为道。当望闻问切。详审病源。病源未悉。用药之当与不当。固不必论。苟能得
其病源
。而于药性之温补寒凉攻泻升降。未能洞悉其微。差之毫厘。谬以千里。非徒无益于病。不
又有害于病乎。则甚矣药性之不可不察也。但古今来着本草者。不下数百家。若者甚详。惜
乎其未能精也。若者甚简。惜乎其未能明也。岂非尽美不能尽善乎。姨丈兆嘉夫子。幼好读
书。经史百家。靡不穷究。而于岐黄之学。则肆力尤深。夙有不为良相。必为良医之志。手
订本草便读一帙。既将金石草木分门别类。复于各类中细加详审。辨其气味形色而为之缕晰
条分。编成联语。虽资鲁者读之。亦能一目了然。绝无冗繁遗漏杂乱混淆之虑。不诚精之又
精。明之又明而为本草之善本乎。（寅）奉读之余。喜其不徒有便读之名。而确有便读之实。
且不徒便于一人。而便于当世之凡学医者。更不徒便于一时。而便于后来之凡学医者。敬缀
数语于简末。以质同志云。
光绪十有三年岁次丁亥孟夏之月受业（姨甥）袁寅顿首
吾郡医学名天下。远方之人多就之者。若法氏、杨氏、钱氏、邹氏、费氏。皆能世其家。
又
各有所着书行于世。其书或传或不传。顾其存者。陈义奥远。学人病不得其用。杨氏本草述
钩元得其用矣。又患其浩博而难纪。且锓版毁于兵。同治闲。郡人醵金用麻沙法印之。仅数
日部。分而庋诸家。骤不可觅。遗文不彰。后起之士憾焉。兆嘉先生既愈家大人疾。出示是
书。春颐受而读之。其词简。其义赅。其用便于初学。而驯而致之以极于其成。于乎。是足
以嗣美于诸家矣。亟出资付剞劂氏。以广其传。藉志感忱云尔。
光绪二十有二年春三月。盛春颐谨跋。
十八反歌诀中蕴含的禁忌，其重要性如同贵贱之别般悬殊。半夏、瓜蒌、贝母、白蔹、白及均能对抗乌头（乌头类药材）。海藻、大戟、甘遂、芫花都与甘草发生冲突。各种参类、细辛、芍药都背叛藜芦。
医学作为一门道术，应当通过望、闻、问、切四种诊法，详细审察疾病的根源。如果未能知晓疾病根源，那么用药是否恰当，根本不必讨论。如果能够探得病源，但对于药物性质的温、补、寒、凉、攻、泻、升、降等细微之处不能透彻理解，哪怕只相差毫厘，结果也会谬以千里。这不仅对病情无益，反而会对病情造成危害吗？由此可见，药物的性质是不可不仔细考察的。但是，从古至今撰写本草著作的人，不下数百家。有的写得非常详尽，可惜在于不够精当；有的写得非常简略，可惜在于不够明晰。这难道不是尽善尽美却未能达到极致吗？姨丈兆嘉先生，自幼喜爱读书，对于经史百家之书，无不穷究深研，而对于岐黄之学（中医医术），更是用力极深。他素来抱有“不为良相，必为良医”的志向。亲手编订了《本草便读》一书，既将金石、草木类药物分门别类，又在各类中细细加以审察辨析，辨别它们的气味、形色并为之条理清晰地分类阐述，编成便于记诵的联语。即使是资质愚钝的人阅读，也能一目了然，完全没有冗杂繁琐、遗漏混乱、相互混淆的顾虑。这确实是精益求精、明辨又明辨，从而成为本草类的优秀范本啊。（寅）我在奉读之余，欣喜于它不仅有“便读”的名号，更有“便读”的实效。而且不仅方便于一人，更方便于当今所有学习医学的人；不仅方便于一时，更方便于后世所有学习医学的人。恭敬地在书末写下几句话，以此向志同道合者请教。
光绪十三年岁次丁亥孟夏之月，受业弟子（姨甥）袁寅叩首敬跋。
我们郡县的医学名声传遍天下，远方的人多来此地求学。像法氏、杨氏、钱氏、邹氏、费氏这些家族，都能世代传承家学。各自又有著作流传于世。这些书籍有的流传下来，有的没有流传。但那些留存下来的，义理深奥深远，学习者苦于不得其用。杨氏的《本草述钩元》掌握了其应用之法，但又担心其内容浩博难以记忆，且刻版毁于战乱。同治年间，郡里的人集资用麻沙法印行，仅印了几部，分散收藏在各家，突然之间很难寻觅。遗文未能彰显，后起之士对此感到遗憾。兆嘉先生既然治好了我父亲大人的疾病，出示这本书给我看。春颐接受并阅读它，发现它的言辞简练，义理完备，使用上便于初学者，循序渐进直至精通成就。唉，这足以继承并发扬诸家的优良传统了。于是急忙出资交给刻工，以广泛传播它，借此表达感激之情罢了。
光绪二十二年春季三月，盛春颐谨跋。
The prohibitions contained in the "Eighteen Incompatibilities Song" are of paramount importance, distinct as if by a difference in status. Pinelliae Rhizoma (Banxia), Trichosanthis Fructus (Gualou), Fritillariae Bulbus (Beimu), Pleurospermi Radix (Bianlian), and Bletillae Rhizoma (Baiji) all counteract Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Wutou). Sargassum Thallus (Zao), Euphorbiae Pekinensis Radix (Daji), Kansui Radix (Suisu), and Genkwa Flos (Yuanhua) all conflict with Glycyrrhizae Radix (Gancao). Various Ginseng species (Zhushen), Asari Radix et Rhizoma (Xixin), and Paeoniae Radix (Shaoyao) all rebel against Veratri Radix (Lilu).
Medicine, as a profound discipline, requires the use of inspection (Wang), auscultation and olfaction (Wen), inquiry (Wen), and palpation (Qie) to meticulously examine the origin of disease. If the origin of the disease is not understood, whether the medication is appropriate or not need not even be discussed. Even if one can ascertain the disease origin, but fails to thoroughly comprehend the subtle nuances of drug properties—such as warming, tonifying, cooling, purging, ascending, and descending—a discrepancy of mere hair's breadth will result in an error of a thousand miles. This would not only be of no benefit to the patient but might also cause harm. Thus, it is crucial that drug properties must be carefully examined. However, since ancient times, hundreds of authors have written materia medica texts. Some are very detailed yet lack precision; some are very concise yet lack clarity. Is this not a case where perfection is sought but ultimate excellence is not fully achieved? My uncle by marriage, Master Zhaojia, loved reading from childhood and thoroughly investigated classics, histories, and various schools of thought. He exerted himself particularly deeply in Qihuang studies (Traditional Chinese Medicine). He harbored the ambition: "If I cannot serve as a good minister, I shall surely become a good physician." He personally compiled the volume *Bencao Bian Du* (Convenient Reading of Materia Medica). It categorizes minerals, metals, herbs, and plants into classes, and within each class, it provides detailed scrutiny. It distinguishes flavors, odors, colors, and shapes, organizing them into clear, logical categories and rhyming couplets for easy memorization. Even those of duller intellect can grasp the content at a glance, without any worry of redundancy, omission, confusion, or chaos. Truly, this is refining precision further and clarifying understanding again, making it an excellent standard text for materia medica. After reading it, I am delighted that it lives up not only to its name as a "convenient reader" but also to its practical utility. Moreover, it benefits not just one person, but all contemporary students of medicine; not just for the present time, but for future generations of medical students. I respectfully append these few words at the end of the manuscript to consult with my like-minded colleagues.
In the first month of the year Dinghai (1887), your humble student and nephew by marriage, Yuan Yin, bows his head in respect.
The medical arts of our prefecture are renowned throughout the world, attracting many students from distant places. Families such as Fa, Yang, Qian, Zou, and Fei have all inherited their family traditions. Each has authored books that circulate in the world, though some have been lost while others remain. The surviving texts possess profound and far-reaching principles, which students find difficult to apply effectively. Yang's *Bencao Shu Gouyuan* (Hooking the Essence of Materia Medica Narratives) mastered the practical application, but its vastness made it hard to memorize, and its printing blocks were destroyed during wartime. During the Tongzhi reign, locals pooled funds to reprint it using the Mashab method, producing only a few copies which were scattered among private collections, making them hard to find later. The legacy remained obscure, causing regret among later scholars. Since Mr. Zhaojia cured my father's illness and showed me this book, I accepted and read it. I found its language concise, its meaning comprehensive, and its utility convenient for beginners, guiding them gradually to mastery. Alas, this is sufficient to continue the fine tradition of previous masters. I therefore hurriedly funded its publication to spread its transmission, thereby expressing my gratitude.
In the third month of spring, 1896, Sheng Chunyi respectfully adds this postscript.