“Tasting a Hundred Herbs”

Emperor Yan,or Shennong,is said to be the father of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).According to Sima Qian’s Historical Records: the Three Sovereings,Shennong tasted“one hundred”(or“very many”)herbs and then taught people how to use herbal medicines in their daily life.He later became the God of Medicine and is also regarded as the first pharmacist in China.

In ancient times,as the crops and weeds

仙界(韓自豪攝)A Land of Fairytales(Photo by Han Zihao)

According to Tongjianqianbian,3.The historical monograph Tongjianqianbian（《通鑒前編》），compiled by Jin Lvxiang （1232-1303）in the Yuan Dynasty,was a prequel to Sima Guang’s Zizhitongjian（《資治通鑒》）.at first the tribesmen knew nothing about medicine,and Shennong began to taste various herbs,examining their components and expounding grew together, and herbs and flowers huddled,it was difficult to tell food or medical herbs from weeds.To help his tribesmen,Shennong climbed the mountains to collect herbs,and then attempted to know their nature by tasting them.on the effects of all kinds of medicinal ingredients.He wrote a book about the methods of healing patients,signifying the beginning of Chinese medicine.According to the book Huaninanzi,when Shennong tasted herbs,he once ingested 72 kinds of poisons in a day,and could only be cured by tea.Having known the different features of herbs,Shennong was able to cure patients and mitigate their sufferings.

The touching story of“Shennong tasting a hundred herbs and saving his patients”has been widely spread,serving as a part of Shennongjia’s TCM cultural heritage.According to Hu Zhen,dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine,Shennong upheld the spirit of respecting and protecting people’s lives,which demonstrated his respect for life and his unremitting pursuit of protecting living beings.

The ridgeline of the western side of Tianmenya,a peak in Shennongjia,formed in the shape of a ladder,and the peak itself reaches high up to the sky.It’s said that this is where Shennong flew to heaven from a wooden altar.Nowadays,there are some places in Shennongjia that are called Baicaoyuan, Baicaochong, and Baicaoya.“Baicao”means“a hundred herbs,”so these names are closely associated with Shennong’s legendary stories.

神農嘗百草

炎帝神農是傳說中農業和醫藥的發明者。漢代司馬遷《史記·三皇本紀》中記載：“始嘗百草，始有醫藥”，神農成為醫藥神，被后人視為我國醫藥的始祖。

上古時期，五谷和雜草長在一起，藥物和百花開為一簇，哪些是可食的糧食，哪些是可治病的草藥，無人能區分。為解民生疾苦，神農親自上山采藥，親口嘗試各種藥草?！锻ㄨb前編》記載：“民有疾病未知藥石，炎帝始味草木之滋，察其寒溫平熱之性，辯其君臣佐使之義?！熳鲿辕熋窦?，而醫道立焉”。為辨藥性，“神農嘗百草，日遇七十二毒，得荼而解之”（《淮南子》）。神農根據各種藥草的藥性，給人們治病，為人們解除苦痛。

“神農嘗百草救黎民”的感人故事，流傳至今，為湖北神農架奠定了深厚的中醫藥文化底蘊。在湖北中醫藥大學人文學院院長胡真看來，神農氏所體現出的尊生護生的實踐和精神，體現了對生命的無上尊重，對護生的竭力追求。

神農架天門埡西側的山脊線呈梯形，頂端高聳云霄，相傳這里就是神農“架木為壇，跨鶴飛天”的故址。至今，神農架還保留有“百草園”、“百草沖”、“百草埡”等與神農嘗百草有關的地名。

云涌神農谷（徐 欣攝）Clouds kissing cliffs in Shennong Valley(Photo by Xu Xin)