Characteristic medicine. Three qi theory, five elements theory, two qi and six meridians theory, poisonous heresy.
Yi medicine. As early as the transition from matriarchal society to paternal society, Yi people used "Biyou" (Bletilla striata) to treat chapped feet and skin. Treat toothache with "planting tonic" (Datura stramonium); Treat diarrhea with "Dongdong" (three needles); Use "cold head" (musk) to treat poisonous snake bites and "black le" (boils) and other diseases; Treating bee sting with Levy (Pogostemon cablin); Treating leprosy with "Baha Wu Jian" (python bone).
Yi medicine originated from primitive society. During this period, Yi ancestors lived and ate in the forest, and most of them lived in trees, so they had the most intuitive and superficial understanding of plants. Perhaps it is because of this historical and natural development that Yi medicine and plants have forged an indissoluble bond.
At that time, on the one hand, the ancestors of Yi people were in a harsh natural environment and faced with brutal beasts, on the other hand, they were also suffering from their own diseases. In the practice of fighting against natural disasters and diseases, they gradually accumulated experience in protecting their health and strengthening their physique, and also developed medical knowledge.
Like other ethnic medicine, medicine is the basis of the development of Yi medicine. Yi medicine is divided into three parts: plants, animals and minerals.
In Liangshan Yi area in matriarchal times, a tribe or tribe is often called by a plant, and even some mountain names are derived from plant names. For example, "Darobo", "Daribo" and "Shuzubo" are the mountains where black sparrow grass, sparrow grass and fir trees grow respectively. This naming habit has continued from matriarchal society to today, and there are still many places in Liangshan area named after plants, such as Wu Le (rhubarb) and Erwu (Elsholtzia).
After entering the patrilineal society where continuous marriage replaced group marriage, it promoted the progress of society and genetics. At this time, the knowledge of plants has been further accumulated. The ancestors of Yi people found some poisonous plants in their migration and grazing life. About the time of knowing poisonous weeds and poisoning, it was probably the time of eating grass seeds and fruits, which was not clearly recorded at that time.
The concepts of "poisoning" and "poisonous weeds" are caused by the poisoning phenomenon of sheep and people in the collection of wild plants and grazing life of Yi ancestors, as well as the accumulation of taste and physical measurement.
Poisonous weeds can poison people and animals, which attracted great attention of Yi ancestors, so they made great efforts to identify poisonous weeds and describe the poisonous parts of plants. For example, they think that Aconitum plants have "poisonous roots and flowering heads". Yi ancestors were deeply impressed by poisonous weeds because they witnessed the painful scene of their compatriots being poisoned by poisonous weeds. And recorded in the book to indicate the growth place and toxic parts of poisonous weeds for future generations to see.