The Meaning and Historical Evolution of "Toxin" in Traditional Chinese Medicine：A Philological Investigation
10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.21.002
- VernacularTitle:中医学“毒”之含义及源流考释
- Author:
Zhiwei ZUO
1
;
Wei LIU
1
Author Information
1. First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine，Tianjin，300381
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
toxin;
toxin pathogen;
toxin syndrome;
concept;
philological investigation
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2026;67(21):2264-2269
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
In classical medical literature， the concept of "toxin" in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） encompasses medicinal properties， etiology and pathogenesis， syndromes， and treatment. Its connotations extend beyond the intrinsic potency and potential toxicity of medicinal substances to include pathological states characterized by the accumulation， latent persistence， transmission and transformation of pathogenic toxins， as well as the turbid stagnation. The concept also involves the nomenclature of toxin-related disorders and therapeutic strategies for the application and elimination of toxins. Previous studies have largely focused on individual medical classics， specific diseases， or drug toxicity， while different conceptual levels of toxin have often been conflated. After briefly tracing broader semantics of toxin， this paper adopts medical properties， etiology and pathogenesis， syndromes and treatment as the analytical framework to examine the historical evolution of its medical connotations across different historical periods， aiming to clarify the conceptual hierarchy of toxin in TCM and elucidate its developmental trajectory. The basic meanings of toxin took shape in the pre-Qin and Qin-Han dynasties， encompassing medicinal efficacy and risks， pathogenic qi leading to damage， disease and syndrome nomenclature， and the principles of using toxic substances to treat diseases. The understanding of accumulation， latent persistence， and transmission of toxin pathogen， as well as residual toxin was further enriched in the Jin-Sui-Tang dynasties. The materia medica standardization and syndrome-based treatment of toxin were witnessed in the Song-Jin-Yuan dynaties， while further elaboration of the toxin concept in warm epidemic， warm disease， and surgery were promoted during the Ming-Qing dyanties. In the modern and contemporary periods， more complex pathogenic concepts emerged， including collateral damage by toxin， toxin bi （痹）， and turbid toxin. These historical developments provide important documentary evidence for the standardization of related terminology， syndrome research， and the safety evaluation of medicinal applications.
