Timeline of the Historical Development of TCM

The history of TCM can be summarized a list of important Doctors and Books.


Unknown Period

1. 黄帝内经 (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon)
2. 素问
3. 灵枢

Warring States Period (5th century BC to 221 BC):

1. 足臂十一脉灸经 (Moxibustion Classic of the Eleven Channels of Legs and Arms)
2. 阴阳十一脉灸经 (Moxibustion Classic on the Eleven Yin and Yang Channels)

Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) to Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280 AD):

1. 针灸枕中经 (Classic of Moxibustion and Acupuncture Preserved in a Pillow), Author 华佗 (Hua Tuo).
2. 伤寒杂病论, which has since been split into two texts: 伤寒论 (Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders - focusing on febrile conditions attributed to "Cold") , 金匱要略 (Essentials of the Golden Cabinet - focusing on "miscellaneous illnesses"), Author 张仲景 (Zhang Zjong Jing)

Jìn Dynasty (265 - 420):
1. 针灸甲乙经 (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), Author 皇甫谧 (Huang Fu Mi)

Tang Dynasty (618–907):

1. 备急千金要方(Emergency Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold), 千金翼方(Supplement to the Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold), Author 孙思邈 (Sun Si Miao)
2. 外台秘要 (Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library), Author 王焘 (Wang Tao)

Song Dynasty (960 – 1279):

1. 铜人腧穴针灸图经 (Illustrated Manual of the Practice of Acupuncture and Moxibustion at the Transmission and other Acu-points, for use with the Bronze Figure), Author 王惟一 (Wang Wei Yi)

Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368):

1. 十四经发挥 (Exposition of the Fourteen Channels), Author 滑寿 (Hua Shou)

Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) Golden age of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.

1. 针灸大全 (A Complete Collection of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), Author 徐凤 (Xu Feng)
2. 针灸聚英发挥 (An Exemplary Collection of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and their Essentials), Author 高武 (Gao Wu)
3. 针灸大成 (Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), Author 杨继洲 (Yang Ji Zhou)
4. 本草冈目 (Compendium of Materia Medica), Author 李时珍 (Li Shi Zhen), the most complete and comprehensive pre-modern herbal book .
5. 温疫论, Author 吴有性 (Wu You Xing), 1642.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1912)

1. 医宗金鉴 (Golden Mirror of the Medical Tradition), Compiled by 吴谦 (Wu Quan), under imperial commission.
2. 针灸逢源 (The Source of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), Author 李学川 (Li Xue Chuan)
3. 温热论, Author 叶天士 (Ye Tian Shi).
4. 温病条辨 (Systematized Identification of Warm-factor disorders), Compiled by 吴鞠通 (Wu Ju Tong), in 1798.