In terms of origin, China culture has the greatest relationship with Taoism. Although the name of Taoist school was formed late, it was named after 96 in the early Han Dynasty. But its origin can be traced back to Yi Yin in the early Shang Dynasty. By the end of the Zhou Dynasty, Laozi's Classic of Tao Te Ching was a masterpiece, which did not include the primary stage of Taoist thought, but should have been promoted to the Yellow Emperor.

There are ancient Taoist books in the records of Hanshu Yiwenzhi, the first of which is Yiyin. This book has been lost for a long time, and it is not even recorded in the Annals of Sui Shu Classics. However, in recent years, the lost silk book "Nine Notes on the Book of Changes" unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb not only gives us a general understanding of the early Taoist classic "Book of Changes", but also confirms that the emergence of Taoism is closely related to the reality of heaven. For example, namelessness and fame are a center of Laozi's research, while Yinjiuzhu thinks that "name" comes from heaven. Its text says: "Heaven lacks (one mold) and there is no (one), and everything is resurrected. Creatures are just names. "

The so-called "heaven paradigm" is "heaven", that is, the noumenon of heaven and the law of its operation, that is, the so-called "namelessness". "Name" is the product of heaven, so everything is born from it, and it is also named. Laozi said, "The beginning of the nameless world is the mother of all things". Footnotes can be found here.

Traditional Chinese medicine and Taoism come down in one continuous line, with special emphasis on "man is related to heaven and earth, corresponding to the sun and the moon". Traditional Chinese medicine is studied in a large system of heaven, earth and man, and its source is Taoism. Therefore, according to Neijing, if an excellent doctor wants to master medical ethics, he must know: "Knowing astronomy in Taoism, geography in Taoism, and personnel in Taoism can last for a long time, teaching the public without doubt, and articles on medical ethics can be handed down to future generations and given priority." To equate the requirements for doctors with the standards of Taoism is the root of the connection between medicine and Taoism, or the homology between medicine and Taoism. Therefore, if we want to study Chinese medicine deeply, we must not ignore the study of Taoism, especially the value of Daoism.

Taoism is called the belief of "rebirth" and advocates immortality. While valuing the value of individual life, I believe that individuals in the world can be reborn and become immortals directly after certain cultivation. Therefore, Taoism has absorbed primitive witchcraft, immortal magic and ancient ways of health preservation, and established and constructed a complete Taoist health preservation system. This system is closely related to the subject of Chinese medicine-Chinese medicine. Since ancient times, there has been a saying in China that "medicine and Taoism are of the same origin".

Theoretically, the concept of harmony between man and nature, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, and their views on human meridians, qi and blood and viscera are basically inherited and developed by Taoism. As the basic theory of life in practice, it is permeated with the inner alchemy of guidance, thinking, persuasion and later maturity.

In addition, Taoist health preservation and Chinese medicine have some basic issues of common concern. For example, Taoism pays the most attention to the maintenance and cultivation of human essence, qi and spirit; The basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine, such as the concept of harmony between man and nature, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, the theory of human meridians, viscera, qi and blood and clinical practice, also attach great importance to the balance and coordination of human essence and spirit. There are many similarities between Taoist health preservation and traditional Chinese medicine, such as psychosocial therapy, rehabilitation therapy, music therapy and environmental therapy.

Immortal belief is the main reason for the emergence of Taoist medicine. According to the belief in immortals, immortals are first and foremost an infinite extension of individual life. If this is possible, then logically speaking, since it is infinitely extended, the individual's life should be healthy and long before it is infinitely extended. In the early Taoist period, believers would think so more. For example, young Taoist priests have light footsteps and bright eyes, or old Taoist priests have sharp eyes and bright eyes, so believers will regard him as a sage like type and sincerely worship him. On the contrary, a sallow, emaciated, ill-ridden, weak and listless Taoist priest, who would believe that he was promoted to immortality once? Therefore, the record of nourishing nature and prolonging life says: "Tao and life are together, and life and Tao are together." It means that believing in immortals requires your life, and medical health care and cultivation of immortals are inseparable. Neijing says: Life depends on pottery. "If life and Tao are integrated, you will live forever." That is, seek immortality through medical health preservation. "Huang Ting Neiguan Buxie Map" says: "Know the five internal organs first, then practice." "Tan Xuan Lv Zushi, a real person in Danting" said: "Without getting rid of the disease, it is difficult for Ji Xian to stand." Inner alchemy must first "lay the foundation". These are the preparation stage, necessary conditions or foundation of taking medical health preservation as the immortal. Seeking immortality will make your life expensive and your life will seek medical treatment, so Taoist medicine will inevitably come into being. Saving the world and educating people is the second important reason for Taoist medicine. Taoism advocates the spirit of benevolence and requires Taoists to take saving the world as their responsibility. "Du Renjing" said: "The fairy road is expensive, and people are infinite." "Helping the world with medicine" is one of the ways to help the world and the people, and it is easy to get results. Taoism believes that helping others is not only to be kind to others, but also to accumulate virtue for oneself, and only by accumulating virtue can one become immortal. As the old saying goes, "if you cure all diseases, the more bitter you are, you can live forever." Quanzhen religion refers to cultivating one's body and mind as "true work", helping others as "true practice", and saying that "both work and practice" can become a Tao. It is in this sense that Wang Zhongyang, the founder of Quanzhen Sect, said that "those who study Taoism must study medicine". Qiu Chuji even said to Genghis Khan: "There is a way of sanitation, and there is no medicine for immortality." Based on Taoist economic thought, Taoist priests are also required to master medical health knowledge. Saving the world with medicine often leads to the objective effect of preaching with medicine. Some Taoist priests master medical knowledge just to preach with medicine. For example, Taiping Dao of the early Taoist Yellow Scarf and Wudoumi Dao of Zhang Er both treated people with water at the beginning of missionary work, and quickly won a large number of believers.

Taoism attaches importance to medical health preservation, which is also related to the actual needs of Taoist life. This is the second important reason for the emergence of Taoist medicine. In ancient times, many Taoists lived in the backcountry, and some Taoists chose caves. There are also some Taoist priests who travel across mountains and rivers to collect medicines or Taoist temples. If they lack medical care knowledge, can't resist the harsh environment, and can't save themselves when diseases come, they will find it difficult to survive. Therefore, Ge Hong, a Taoist theorist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, warned Taoists that they must "study medical skills concurrently". In addition, according to the theory of the induction between heaven and man, some Taoist scriptures treat diseases as a means to induce heaven and earth not to fall into disaster, trying to treat heaven with medicine. There are also Taoist scriptures that teach the law with medical theory and promote the Tao with medicine. These are also the reasons for the emergence of Taoist medicine.

The theory of immortals in China originated very early. Documents such as Classic of Mountains and Seas, Songs of Chu, Han Feizi, Zhuangzi and Zuo Zhuan all record myths or magic about immortality, immortal medicine, real people, immortals or immortals. During the Warring States period, Fang Xiandao, which was devoted to immortal activities, became popular, and three schools of Qi, medicinal bait and treasure essence stood on their feet. In the Han Dynasty, some scholars of Huang Lao turned to study the magic of immortals, forming Huang Lao Dao. Records of Han Dynasty recorded Fang and Huang's works, including 8 works, 10 cents, including house, guide, massage, worship pavilion, phellodendron and bamboo, etc. Wang Chong criticized Huang Lao-dao in the preface to Lun Heng Dao, and listed five prescriptions: nourishing essence and loving qi, avoiding valley, eating qi and guiding medicine. Some scholars call the alchemy of Huang and Huang medicine. Alchemy takes immortality as the highest goal, Chinese medicine and witch doctors as the main contents, and China's ancient philosophy as the theoretical basis. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taiping Dao and Wudou Mi Dao treated people with water, and taught people to cure diseases by confessing, taking medicine, remembering thoughts, taking pictures and chanting spells, which marked the formal formation of Taoist medicine. Alchemist medicine is the predecessor of Taoist medicine. The core content of Taoist medicine is Chinese medicine. It can be said that Taoist medicine has absorbed and integrated all the contents of Chinese medicine. Taoist doctors in past dynasties carried out medical practice and theoretical exploration with religious piety and humanitarian spirit of saving the wounded and dying, and made great contributions to Chinese medicine. For example, Ge Hong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty first recorded smallpox. Xiao Liang and Tao Hongjing's anthology "Nourishing and Prolonging Life", which integrates medical theory, medicine, strengthening spirit, persuasion, shaping, guidance, speech, diet, anti-vulgarity, taboo, prayer, chanting and thinking, is the earliest existing anthology of health preservation in China. His book Compendium of Materia Medica is innovative in the collection, processing, classification and compatibility of drugs. Sun Simiao in Tang Dynasty laid a preliminary foundation for the development of gynecology and pediatrics, and developed the theory of health preservation and longevity. Xiyuan Maixue, founded by Cui in Southern Song Dynasty, occupies an important position in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. Some drugs for external use developed by the external alchemy method are still in use today. Inner alchemy promoted the development of ancient health preservation and human research in China. Many important TCM works in China contain a large number of Taoist prescriptions.