# Bencao: Chinese Medicine Herbs — TCM Herbal Reference > Comprehensive reference for TCM herbs and formulas for practitioners and students. (iPhone/iPad app by eXebeche.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bencao-chinese-medicine-herbs/id312055852 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [eXebeche](https://appshunter.io/developer/312055855) - Category: Medical, Health & Fitness - Price: $29.99 - Rating: 3.70/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 55 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 22 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2009-04-18 - Data updated: 2026-09-04 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bencao-chinese-medicine-herbs/id312055852/reviews.md ## What is Bencao? The definitive tool for Chinese Medicine herbalists, Bencao contains detailed information on all the commonly used herbs and classic formulas, utilizing a unique layout that is built with the clinician in mind. Ben Cao (pronounced Ben Tsao) is suitable for all practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). For TCM doctors and physicians, Bencao provides quick access to specific symptoms or syndromes, helpful for making modifications or remembering an obscure function or indication. For TCM students, Bencao help memorization with it's systematic approach and concise information, replacing heavy reference books and easier to get to the information you need. Unique features: ◆ Hundreds of commonly used herbs and formulas, organized by Pinyin (Chinese pronunciation) with tone marks, pharmaceutical or English name. ◆ Fully linkable interface. Click any herb, formula, symptom or syndrome's name, category etc. to jump to the respective information screen. Use the back arrows to go all the way back. Click on a herb's image to view it at full screen. ◆ Hundreds of symptoms and dozens of TCM syndromes provide links to all indicated herbs and formulas, making it easy to treat according to Differential Diagnosis (DD). ◆ Save your personal notes on each herb or formula, displayed as an integral part of the information screen. ◆ Personalize you display of herbs and formulas according to your preference of Pinyin, English pharmaceutical or English name. ◆ Contains all the herbs and formulas required by the California Acupuncture Licensing Exam. Use the Settings screen to visually mark them and help you prepare for the exam. ************************************************************* This application is a product of love and a lot of hard work. We value any feedback or suggestion you may have. Please use the "Send Feedback" link in the Settings screen or email us at bencao@exebeche.com at any time. Note that we cannot communicate through the reviews section of the App Store so please contact us directly with any concern. ************************************************************* ## Key features - Extensive herb and formula database - Organized by Pinyin, pharmaceutical, or English name - Fully linkable interface for easy navigation - Symptom and syndrome indexing - Personal note-taking functionality - Exam preparation tools ## Recent user reviews (10 of 55) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bencao-chinese-medicine-herbs/id312055852/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Needs iPad compatibility *2018-01-18, version 1.4* When I bought this app I didn’t realize that it only works in the vertical screen orientation for iPad. This is extremely inconvenient, as a CCM student who uses my iPad as a small computer in the horizontal orientation. I was sincerely hoping to be able to use this app every day and type all my own notes in at the bottom. Please fix this, and then I will rate 5 stars. ### 1/5 — Bencao disappeared off of my wife's new iPhone 7 *2017-09-02, version 1.3.1* My wife and I both have Bencao on our iPhone's for many years and we use it all of the time. We both just got iphone 7 and we restored them from our last backup of our 6S. My Bencao was on my new phone but it was not on my wife's iPhone. She went to the App Store and it was only for purchase but she already purchased it years ago. Can you please advise how to restore Bencao on her iPhone. ### 5/5 — Great app for Chinese Herbalists *2017-05-19, version 1.3.1* I don't have to lug around a bunch of giant books anymore! Great app for students and herbalists. ### 4/5 — Functions flawlessly, but could use more frequent updates *2016-05-03, version 1.3* This is a fantastic app and I have used it regularly over the course of several years. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to keep up with updates for the new iOS systems. This app has never crashed on me and all of the hyperlinks function as they should. There is definitely a wealth of information within the app in a very concise manner, but there are very few (literally) holes that could be filled in. ### 5/5 — Die beste TCM-App, die ich kenne. *2015-10-04, version 1.3* Dies ist die gründlichste und beste TCM-App, die ich unter ca. 40 anderen als beste empfunden habe. Schaue hier gerne einzelne Kräuter oder Zusammensetzungen von Rezepturen nach. Auch im täglichen Praxis-Betrieb sehr nützlich. ### 2/5 — Barebones and Overpriced *2015-03-13, version 1.3* Doesn't have anything that TCM Clinic Aid doesn't. Does NOT have a lot that TCM does: herb breakdown, modifications, Western usages, quizzes, etc. Bought this awhile back when had a $100 Apple card and have used it maybe a few times just briefly. The look is outdated and kinda clunky and ugly. Considering TCM covers acupuncture and is less than half the cost, there really is no reason to buy this now. ### 5/5 — Tolle schnelle Datenbank *2014-11-15, version 1.3* Schon lange bei anderen TCM Therapeuten gesehen endlich zugelegt - toll schnelle Übersicht klar strukturiert um eigene Notizen ergänzbar. ### 5/5 — Essential tool *2014-10-07, version 1.3* This is an amazing Chinese herbal application I use it on a daily basis and I find it incredibly helpful and well worth the money. ### 4/5 — Nice App *2014-04-27, version 1.3* Easy to search, nice pinyin listing. Would LOVE to see more herbs and formulas but there is plenty there. A very good start. ### 3/5 — Good app but work still needed *2014-01-21, version 1.3* This is an expensive app but i am quite happy i bought it because it is on the whole well made and one can see that a lot of thought and hard work has gone into it. It covers a large amount of herbs and formulas and all the different items are well interlinked so you can move swiftly and efficiently through the content of the app. I do not give it 5 stars because it does not give the botanical name of the herbs, it only gives the pinyin and the pharmaceutical names. I consider this quite a serious shortcoming. Also, only some of the herbs have pictures and a considerable number of them do not. Once those two issues are sorted i would gladly give this app five stars. ## Frequently asked questions about Bencao ### What is Bencao: Chinese Medicine Herbs? Bencao is a digital reference tool designed for practitioners and students of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It provides detailed information on commonly used herbs and classic formulas, organized in a way that is beneficial for clinical practice and memorization. ### What are the key features of this app? Key features include a large database of herbs and formulas organized by various naming conventions, a fully linkable interface for seamless navigation, the ability to add personal notes to entries, and tools to assist with exam preparation, such as for the California Acupuncture Licensing Exam. ### How is the app organized? The app organizes hundreds of commonly used herbs and formulas by Pinyin (with tone marks), pharmaceutical name, or English name. It also includes hundreds of symptoms and dozens of TCM syndromes, which are linked to indicated herbs and formulas for differential diagnosis. ### Who is this app intended for? This app is suitable for all practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including TCM doctors, physicians, and students. It aims to aid in quick access to information for clinical decision-making and to facilitate memorization of complex herbal knowledge. ### Is this app free to use? Based on the provided information, this application is a paid product. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, indicating a one-time purchase model for access to its full features. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.5 — 2018-12-19 Updated for newest devices and iOS version ### 1.4 — 2017-12-05 Improved compatibility with iPhone X and iOS 11 ### 1.3.1 — 2016-12-22 Performance improvements for latest iOS versions. ### 1.3 — 2013-09-20 Updated for iOS 7 ### 1.2 — 2012-09-26 Updated for the iPhone 5 and iOS 6. ## Related topics [herbs chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/herbs-chinese) · [herbs reference](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/herbs-reference) · [ancient chinese medicinemuseum](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ancient-chinese-medicinemuseum) · [rchm](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rchm) · [chinese medicine guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chinese-medicine-guide) · [chinese medicine classics](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chinese-medicine-classics) · [herbs medical](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/herbs-medical) · [alternative medicine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/alternative-medicine) · [big chinese medicine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/big-chinese-medicine) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-04.*