Resources and utilization of Taoist medicinal plants distributed in Wudang Mountain

The purposes of this investigation were: (1) to document Taoist herbal medicine in Wudang District, including which plant species and the ways of processing and administrations; (2) to compare the utilization of medicinal herbs of Taoist medicine in Wudang Disctrict and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In this study, based on our botanical survey, 178 species medicinal plants belonging to 75 families were recorded by Wudang Taoist. Out of these, the most important species were Compositae, Labiatae, Liliaceae, Leguminosae, Berberidaceae, Polygonaceae, Rosaceae and Ranunculaceae. The study revealed that wine, tea and bath were most popular forms of administration in Taoist medicine. Our study is the first time to document Taoist medicine systematically. Taoist medicine culture can have its characteristics and bring honor to the world cultural heritage-Wudang Mountains, and then make greater contributions for human health and longevity.