Small Wander. Chinese Small Wander: Legend.
Shen Nong Tasted All Kinds of Herbs And Plants
神農嚐百草 （神話故事）
Shen Nong, also known as Emperor Yan Shen Nong, was the forefather of the East Yin nationality. As legend has it, wielding his red magic whip, Shen Nong could tell by striking at the different plants and flowers in the wild which was poisonous, which was not, which was inherently cold or hot, and what the flavor was.
Shen Nong selected those that were eatable for Man to cultivate.
Although Shen Nong had discovered all kinds of crops, he was still anxious and worried about the sufferings caused by illness. He made up his mind to seek herbs that could cure all kinds of diseases.
In order to know what effect the herbs would have after taking them, Shen Nong determined to have a try of all kinds of herbs himself. Shen Nong was born with a crystal abdomen and thorax, bright and transparent, in which the liver, the stomach, the intestines and the lungs could all be seen very clearly.
Shen Nong first tried a tiny leaf with tender tips. When this tiny leaf reached the stomach, it could be seen moving up and down, cleansing the different parts of the stomach. Shen Nong named it cha, later people called it cha(tea).
The second time, he tasted a small butterfly-shaped light red flower whose leaves are like feathers. It tasted sweet and luscious. And this was sweet grass (licorice root).
The third time he tried a small green and lush flower with round leaves and pointed tips. It tasted bitter and sour. And its fruits were thorny. On the first bite, he felt instantly something pushing hard downwards in his stomach and in a moment his knees began to swell as big as a cows. Shen Nong quickly chewed some tea leaves and rid the poisonous effect. This came to be the so-called niu xi (cows knee)!
In this way, Shen Nong tasted all kinds of herbs every day, and faced many times the danger of being poisoned, only saved fortunately by the tea leaves he prepared and ate. He gathered all the herbs he tasted into a bag. The curative herbs he collected amounted to more than three hundred and ninety eight thousand varieties!
One day, Shen Nong discovered a little yellow flower, like a small camellia, with its leaves opening and closing time and again. How strange! Could it be the Yao Cao (evil grass)? He had just put a leaf in his mouth when he felt his intestines broken into segments. Before he could eat his tea leaves to counteract the poison, he dropped down dead. This poisonous grass was thus named Duan Chang Cao (intestines-breaking grass).
Thus, in order to save mankind, Shen Nong sacrificed himself. People always remember him and regard him as a Bodhisattva King of Medicine. Many places have built The King of Medicine Temple to worship him. He is an excellent model of doctor from generation to generation.