The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its Origins
Abstract. Dingzhou eye ointment gained significant popularity from the late Qing dynasty to the Republican era. Its legacy persists through three prominent families: Bai Jingyu (白敬宇), Ma Yinglong (马应龙) and Zhang Qizhu (张齐珠). Each family’s Dingzhou eye ointment is similar, with comparable ingredients...
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Wolters Kluwer Health/LWW
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Chinese Medicine and Culture |
| Online Access: | http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/MC9.0000000000000135 |
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| author | Ge SONG Yuting HE Zhiheng GUO |
| author_facet | Ge SONG Yuting HE Zhiheng GUO |
| author_sort | Ge SONG |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract. Dingzhou eye ointment gained significant popularity from the late Qing dynasty to the Republican era. Its legacy persists through three prominent families: Bai Jingyu (白敬宇), Ma Yinglong (马应龙) and Zhang Qizhu (张齐珠). Each family’s Dingzhou eye ointment is similar, with comparable ingredients, dosages, and usage methods, suggesting a common origin. While many well-established Dingzhou eye ointment brands claim their origins date back to the late Ming dynasty, the origins of its formulation are likely much older. In ancient Chinese medical texts, there were proto-formulations of similar eye ointments recorded during the Jin and Yuan dynasties, with comparable external and standardized eye medicine formulations appearing in the Ming and Qing dynasties. By the late Qing dynasty, Dingzhou eye ointment had become a popular mainstream topical eye treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. From a broader geographically perspective, the composition aligns with that of similar treatments used in Greco-Roman medicine, which combined minerals such as calamine with aromatic ingredients to create eye medicines. The principles behind the composition of Dingzhou eye ointment are in accord with the concept of the four humours in Arabian medicine. It is possible that the Hui ethnic group was responsible for the introduction of Dingzhou eye ointment to China, indicating cultural exchange between Chinese and foreign medicine practices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2e80b5144fb44de096d8347d592a76fa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2589-9627 2589-9473 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Health/LWW |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Chinese Medicine and Culture |
| spelling | doaj-art-2e80b5144fb44de096d8347d592a76fa2025-08-20T03:33:31ZengWolters Kluwer Health/LWWChinese Medicine and Culture2589-96272589-94732025-06-018215616510.1097/MC9.0000000000000135202506000-00007The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its OriginsGe SONG0Yuting HE1Zhiheng GUO1 Institute for the History of Chinese Medicine and Medical Literature, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China1 Institute for the History of Chinese Medicine and Medical Literature, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, ChinaAbstract. Dingzhou eye ointment gained significant popularity from the late Qing dynasty to the Republican era. Its legacy persists through three prominent families: Bai Jingyu (白敬宇), Ma Yinglong (马应龙) and Zhang Qizhu (张齐珠). Each family’s Dingzhou eye ointment is similar, with comparable ingredients, dosages, and usage methods, suggesting a common origin. While many well-established Dingzhou eye ointment brands claim their origins date back to the late Ming dynasty, the origins of its formulation are likely much older. In ancient Chinese medical texts, there were proto-formulations of similar eye ointments recorded during the Jin and Yuan dynasties, with comparable external and standardized eye medicine formulations appearing in the Ming and Qing dynasties. By the late Qing dynasty, Dingzhou eye ointment had become a popular mainstream topical eye treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. From a broader geographically perspective, the composition aligns with that of similar treatments used in Greco-Roman medicine, which combined minerals such as calamine with aromatic ingredients to create eye medicines. The principles behind the composition of Dingzhou eye ointment are in accord with the concept of the four humours in Arabian medicine. It is possible that the Hui ethnic group was responsible for the introduction of Dingzhou eye ointment to China, indicating cultural exchange between Chinese and foreign medicine practices.http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/MC9.0000000000000135 |
| spellingShingle | Ge SONG Yuting HE Zhiheng GUO The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its Origins Chinese Medicine and Culture |
| title | The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its Origins |
| title_full | The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its Origins |
| title_fullStr | The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its Origins |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its Origins |
| title_short | The Persian Way? Dingzhou Eye Ointment and Its Origins |
| title_sort | persian way dingzhou eye ointment and its origins |
| url | http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/MC9.0000000000000135 |
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