丝绸之路上的药物及其知识的传播——以阿魏为中心

Medicines and the Spread of Knowledge Along the Silk Road:Centering on Asafoetida

通过梳理阿拉伯医学、印度传统医学、中医传世医籍和中医出土文献中阿魏的功效,认为中医对阿魏知识的吸取过程主要受到印度医学与阿拉伯医学的影响,其中阿拉伯医学在吸收印度医学后成为中印交流的“中转站”,并再次影响中医。中古时期一度盛行的阿魏在明清之时鲜见,经分析主要是伪药盛行、佛教衰落、贸易阻断因素导致,其中贸易阻断是最根本原因,且阿魏的传播、盛行、式微正与丝绸之路的兴起、繁盛、衰落相契合。

Through sorting out the efficacies of asafoetida in Arabic medicine,traditional Indian medicine,handeddown and unearthed documents of traditional Chinese medicine,this paper argued that the absorption of knowledge on asafoetida into traditional Chinese medicine was mainly influenced by Indian medicine and Arabic medicine directly,with the latter as a“transit station”later for China-India exchanges affecting Chinese medicine successively.According to analysis,the reasons why asafoetida,once popular in the Middle Ancient Times,was rarely seen in the Ming and Qing Dynasties mainly involved factors such as prevalence of counterfeit medicines,the decline of Buddhism,and trade blockade,of which the last was the most fundamental one.The spread,popularity and downfall of Asafoetida are consistent with the emergence,prosperity and decline of the Silk Road.