Sesame and sesame oil in the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Ginkgo biloba in the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Bing Lang in the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Mo yao (myrrh) in the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Gou Qi Zi illustration from the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao (本草品彙精要)
Poppy from the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Taro in the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Illustrations of Wu Yao from the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Lychee from the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
Jing Jie in the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao
This text, the Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao, was written for a Ming Dynasty Emperor in 1505 AD. Painted by artists from the Imperial Palace, it was stored in the Forbidden City and was lost to the outside world for centuries. This rare original copy was acquired by Italian Jesuits during the Qing Dynasty and is now stored in the National Library in Rome.
(All photos by Eric Brand, please request permission if you would like to use them, thanks!)