This book is a special book of food medicine in Tang Dynasty. The original book early anonymous, only the remnants of the volume and the anonymous text scattered in the "medical heart square", "evidence of class materia medica" and other books, the anonymous text stored in the book is very different. 1907 dunhuang unearthed the book scrolls, the survival of 26 flavors of medicine. The whole book **** 3 volumes. The original book has 138 entries, according to "Jiayou Materia Medica" records: "Zhang Ding (Tang Kaiyuan people) and make up for its lack of 89 kinds, and categorized as two hundred and twenty-seven articles. All said that the effect of food medicine to cure diseases." In addition to the book contains a number of outstanding therapeutic drugs and single formula, but also recorded certain drug contraindications. Contained under the therapeutic formula are indicated under the medicinal properties, followed by the efficacy, contraindications, which may be interspersed with the form, origin and so on. Another animal organs of therapeutic methods and algae and fungi food medical applications, maternal, pediatric dietary taboos and other records. The book is China's earliest surviving monograph on food therapy, but also the world's earliest surviving monograph on food therapy, many later generations have quoted, is an important document for the study of food therapy and nutrition.

From the existing remnants of the anonymous text, there are a number of articles for the "Tang Materia Medica" lost drugs. Such as buckwheat, mung beans, spinach, white chicory, caraway, perch, mandarin fish, shishou fish, etc., are the book's first record. Recorded Persian stone honey, Gaochang elm white skin, etc., can reflect the use of therapeutic medicine in central Asia.

This book is an important reference for the study of herbal literature and the history of the development of dietary therapies.

Qing Guangxu 33 years (1907) British Stein in Dunhuang Mogao caves in the book found in the ancient copy of the remnants of the book, from pomegranate to taro *** 26 kinds of drugs from the article, is now stored in the Museum of London, U.K. In 1930, Japan in the tail of Wan San inspection, calibration of the book, to "dietary therapy Materia Medica investigation," for the name. The book is divided into two series, containing 241 kinds of drugs, is the earliest modern series of books. 1980 autumn, the People's Health Publishing House about Xie Haizhou, Weng Weijian, Ma Jixing, Zheng Jinsheng and other experts and scholars, according to Chinese scholars Luo Zhenyu edited Dunhuang Shihuang Shibuzhuanjin transcribed "therapeutic herb residue volume" and the collection of other information, re-edit, 1984 book into the first printing in July end up making the world's earliest surviving, in the history of the herb, the first time in the world. The first printing in July finally made the world's earliest existing, in the history of materia medica occupies a high position in the therapeutic monograph, with a new look, to meet the world again.

The book is divided into three volumes, *** counting two hundred and twenty-seven.