The world's largest nonprofit herbal botanical garden will be built in Beijing's remote Huairou District, initiators said on Tuesday.
"Li Shizhen's 'Compendium of Materia Medica' Botanical Garden" will be built by the Li Shizhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Foundation under the China Foundation for the Development of Social Culture and the Beijing Xiushi Foundation. The future garden will be located at Liuli Temple Village in Huairou District, Beijing.
Li Shizhen (1518-1593), was a Chinese polymath, medical doctor, scientist, pharmacologist, herbalist and acupuncturist during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). His major contribution to clinical medicine was his 27-year career, which was detailed in his scientific book "Compendium of Materia Medica." The book details more than 1,800 Chinese medicines and includes 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions.
The botanical garden will cover 39.49 acres and plan to grow and display 1,892 species of herbal plants, designed according to "Compendium of Materia Medica." When it is established, it will be the largest herbal garden with the most kinds of herbs without any pollution, chemical fertilizers or pesticides involved.
Li Guoyong, a 17th generation descendant of Li Shizhen, said he hoped the garden will be a model herbal base for the world and an educational base for traditional Chinese medicine. Li is the current director of the Li Shizhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Foundation.
Li believed the biggest problem for Chinese medicine is the inundant planting of herbs with fertilizers and pesticides. As a result, many Chinese herbs can't heal patients because their pharmacodynamic effects are reduced due to pollution from the very beginning.
"Now, reviving the tradition of the raw planting of herbs is the key for Chinese medicine to carry on. This botanical garden and future Li Shizhen academy are here to resolve the problem," he said.
Li Guoyong also hoped that the similar herbal botanical garden, museum and schools can be opened around the world to educate foreigners about traditional Chinese medicine, which will greatly help promote the Chinese contribution to the world's health cause.
The Li Shizhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Foundation will undertake seven large charity projects to mark his ancestor's 500th birthday anniversary, including a free training project for 1 million foreigners in traditional Chinese medicine. "I will first introduce Chinese medicine knowledge to various embassies in China and to foreign friends from the United States, Britain, France, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and more. Those friends will later translate the knowledge into foreign languages. This information will be provided online for foreigners to learn," he explained, mapping out his first step for the project.
Regarding overseas expansion, Li said they always work with a doctor and clinics that have licences to practice medicine in foreign countries. "We can still find herbs that grow in foreign lands and that are useful for locals. When we develop the herb sourcing system overseas according to both Chinese and foreign local laws and regulations, it will be very convenient for traditional Chinese medicine to exercise greater functions for human good."
Li Guoyong added that now is the time to capture the historic opportunities to end misunderstandings, malpractices and the mishandling of traditional Chinese medicine. "It's time for us to promote Chinese medicine with its universal values, popularize this knowledge and establish the right conceptions and standards."
He also stressed that the only way to ease the misunderstandings surrounding Chinese medicine, is to provide the effective healthcare measures and curative effects. "We also have to raise the level of Chinese medical talents and provide chemical-free herbs with sincerity and honesty; then, misunderstandings of any kind will be dispeled."
