Calamine and its related medicines came into China as articles of tribute from other countries in ancient times. It was not recorded in the books of Chinese materia medica before the Song Dynasty but was widely used in ophthalmology, dermatology and traumatology and was, recorded specifically in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. This paper systematically examines the evolution of calamine herb in the archives of traditional Chinese medicine in terms of ophthalmic eternal treatment prescriptions. It was found that a total of 320 ophthalmic treatment formulas or prescriptions involved calamine, mainly finding its expression in 67 books on herbal medicines, formula and prescriptions, clinical syndrome comprehension and ophthalmic monographs. It was also found that calamine, as an important ophthalmic external medicine, had a wide range of clinical applications, covering internal and external obstructive eye diseases. Its flexibility, diverse compatibility and use in various processing are of great value and significance for in-depth exploration of its current application, its further use in ophthalmic treatment formulas or prescriptions and the redevelopment of classic formulas and prescriptions as well.
炉甘石相关药物作为朝贡品和商品进入中国，宋以前的本草书籍未见记载。明代以后，随着炉甘石在中医眼科、皮肤科、伤科病证中的广泛应用，明清本草著作对炉甘石的记载也更加详尽。系统梳理宋以后中医古籍著作所载方剂，组方含有炉甘石的眼科外治方共计320首，集中在67部本草、方书、临证综合及眼科专著中。研究发现炉甘石作为重要的眼科外治药其临床应用广泛，基本涵盖了内障、外障眼病，且炉甘石炮制方法丰富多样，配伍用药灵活多变，对深入剖析当今炉甘石的应用现状，进一步深入推广炉甘石外治方在眼科临床的应用，实现经典名方的再开发具有一定的价值和意义。.