《本草纲目》是一部集16世纪以前，中国历史上本草学大成的著作，撰成于明代万历六年（1578年），万历二十三年（1596年）在金陵（今南京）正式刊行，作者为李时珍。

从《本草纲目》完稿至刻印，中间经历了十多年的时间，原因是当时《本草纲目》没有名家的赞许与政府的支持，李时珍到过蕲州、黄州和武昌，都找不到承印的书商。1579年，他赴当时中国刻印书籍的中心南京寻求出版，但仍未成功。1590年，他终于得到南京藏书家兼出版商胡承龙的帮助，出钱刻印。可惜，李时珍未及三年便卒于家，未能看到自己的著作问世。在四库全书中为子部医家类。

The Compendium of Materia Medica, also known by the romanizations Bencao Gangmu or Pen-tsao Kang-mu, is a Chinese materia medica work written by Li Shizhen during the Ming dynasty. It is a work epitomizing the materia medica known at the time. The Compendium of Materia Medica is regarded as the most complete and comprehensive medical book ever written in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. It lists all the plants, animals, minerals, and other items that were believed to have medicinal properties.