From ‘Treating Abscesses’ To ‘Treating Blood And Stopping Pain’: Perception and Utilization of Ruxiang(乳香) in China
Authors:   The Korean Association for the Social History of Medicine, Choi Hae-Byoul 
Published: May 2023

Ruxiang, one of the most commonly imported herbs, has been mentioned in Chinese literature since the Wei and Jin periods. With the growth of overseas trade during the Tang and Song periods, the massive importation of herbs, including Ruxiang, brought about significant changes in the understanding and utilization of Ruxiang. This study examines historical changes in the perception and utilization of Ruxiang in China.
In the literature of the third century, Ruxiang was mentioned as a “strange item from the south” and understood as a “medicinal herb.” Particularly during the sixth century, TaoHongjing(陶弘景)’s Bencaojingjizhu本草經集注 focused on the therapeutic effects of Ruxiang for treating carbuncles and abscesses, and specific prescriptions that used Ruxiang were related to these ailments. This understanding continued until the early Tang Dynasty, during which Ruxiang was mainly used for treating carbuncles and abscesses or intestinal gas and bad odor.
The perception of the efficacy of Ruxiang changed in the eighth century. Notably, ChenCangqi(陳藏器) emphasized its efficacy in treating stroke, female infertility, blood circulation, deafness, and diarrhea in Bencaoshiyi本草拾遺. However, there are no records of Ruxiang being used to treat these conditions in formulary books(醫方書) compiled during that time as well as in Waitaimiyao外台祕要.
By the end of the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods, with the establishment of local governments and the development of overseas trade, the importation of Ruxiang increased considerably, resulting in significant changes in how it was perceived and used. With Rihuazibencao日華子本草 compiled in the southern region in the tenth century, a more advanced understanding of the efficacy of Ruxiang emerged, which included protecting the regularity of Qi(氣), protecting the waist and knees, stopping pain, and promoting skin regeneration. Additionally, Taipingshenghuifang太平聖惠方 compiled during the Song Dynasty included various prescriptions that reflected the changing perception of Ruxiang’s efficacy since the eighth century, including treatments for stroke, female infertility, and diarrhea.
Bencaotujing本草圖經 from the mid-Northern Song Dynasty emphasized the efficacy of Ruxiang in treating blood and promoting circulation, a fact that was further confirmed in Taipinghuiminhejijufang太平惠民和劑局方 prescriptions added during the Southern Song period. Ruxiang’s effectiveness in ‘boosting the meridian circulation,’ which was particularly mentioned in the added prescriptions during the Southern Song period came to be highlighted by Yishuixuepai易水學派 and medical scholars such as Zhangyuansu張 元素 and Wanghaogu王好古 during the thirteenth century.
In conclusion, in the sixth century, Ruxiang was understood to be effective at treating carbuncles and abscesses and dispelling negative energy. Such an understanding of Ruxiang’s efficacy shifted toward an emphasis on its ability to invigorate blood circulation and alleviate pain in the eleventh to thirteenth centuries. This evolution reflected an expanded understanding of Ruxiang’s efficacy and the gradual establishment of an increasingly theoretical framework to explain it. Additionally, the expanded understanding of Ruxiang’s efficacy can be observed in the many usages to which it was put in medical books, which expanded significantly from the tenth and eleventh centuries onward, during the time of large-scale Ruxiang importation. The appearance of medical prescriptions that used Ruxiang in the Song Dynasty’s Taipingshenghuifang太平聖惠方 likely resulted from the expanded understanding of Ruxiang’s efficacy and the increased importation of Ruxiang from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties periods.