中药是中国传统药物的总称，由于以植物性药材居多，所以自古以来也被称为“本草”。

Chinese medicine refers to all the forms of traditonal medicine of China. Since most of the remedies are made from herbs, it has been known since ancient times also as “herbal medicine”.

　　中国幅员辽阔，资源丰富，天然药材种类繁多，包括植物、动物和矿物在内，目前共整理出8000种左右。历史上流传下来的中药文献也很多。中国最早的一部中药学专著是汉代的《神农本草经》；唐代政府颁布的《新修本草》是世界上最早的药典；明代李时珍的《本草纲目》，总结了16世纪以前的药物经验，对后世药物学的发展作出了巨大的贡献。可以说，中药是中国人几千年医学智慧的结晶。

China is a vast country that is rich in resources. One of its major resources is medicines, of which there are 8,000 varieties by the latest count – herbal, animal and mineral included. There are numerous classical works about traditional Chinese medicine. The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, or Experience in the Use of Herbal Medicines, from the Han Dynasty was the first monograph on the subject ever written in China. The Xin Xiu Cao Ben, or Revised Book on Herbal Medicines, from the Tang Dynasty was the world’s first pharmacopoeia. The Compendium of Materia Medica, a monumental work by the Ming Dynasty physician Li Shizhen, made a significant contribution to the world’s medical knowledge. Traditional Chinese medicine can rightly be called a significant element in the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.

　　服用中药，最传统的方法是煎服药汤。也就是根据医生开出的药方，从中药房称出规定克重的药材，用砂锅煎煮，服用药汤。这种方法虽然疗效最好，但很不方便，于是中成药的使用越来越普及。有些中成药制成药水，有些制成药丸或胶囊。

The traditional and most popular way of taking Chinese medicine is to drink decoction of medicinal ingredients. By referring to a doctor’s prescription and using ingredients from a traditional medicine pharmacy, the medicine is made by being boiled in a clay pot, after which it is drunk as a soup. This approach, though most effective, is inconvenient. These days, people prefer to take traditional medicines in the form of pills, capsules or liquid.

　　服用中药也有很多的饮食禁忌，也就是俗称的“忌口”。忌口是中医治病的一个特点。中医认为，我们平时食用的普通食物，也有各自的性能，如果与所服用的药物相冲突，就会对疾病的治疗产生影响。

Abstinence from certain foods while taking traditional medicine is a feature of Chinese medicine. The belief is that everything we eat serves a unique function, which may conflict with the function of a medicine we are taking. Such a conflict may undermine the medicinal effect.