First, the origin and interpretation of "Shennong tasted a hundred herbs and encountered 72 poisons every day, but it was solved by tea"
Shennong Herbal Classic, referred to as Shennong Herbal Classic for short, is the earliest extant classic of Chinese medicine in China. Its original book has been lost, and what we are seeing now is sorted out by later generations from ancient herbal books, so the book has three volumes, four volumes and eight volumes of different records. This book records the indications and functions of 365 kinds of drugs according to the classification of upper, middle and lower categories. In addition, it also summarizes the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine, such as four qi and five flavors, toxicity and non-toxicity, the principle of compatibility between monarch, minister and assistant, the method of medication, and the contraindications of dosage forms. This ancient book, written under the guise of Shennong, is actually a summary of medical knowledge and experience by doctors of past dynasties. About the age of this ancient book, some say it is from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and some say it is from the Han Dynasty. We might as well say in general that this book was written during the Qin and Han Dynasties. This is the formation period of the legend of Yandi Shennong (mainly concentrated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period), and most of the earliest words that relayed this legend appeared in this period. In addition to Shennong's herbal classics, the following books also record this legend:
Liu An in the Western Han Dynasty said in "Huai Nan Zi Xiu Wu Xun": "Ancient people ate grass and water, picked the fruits of trees, and ate the meat of cockroaches, which often caused diseases. So Shennong began to teach the people to sow grains, make the land moist and fertile, and let the people avoid the taste of herbs and the ups and downs of water springs. At this time, I encountered seventy poisons a day. "
Jin Gan Bao's "Searching for the Gods" Volume 1: "Shennong smoked a hundred herbs with a whip, knowing that they were poisonous and cold, and smelling (sound xiù, referring to various smells) was the main way to sow a hundred grains."
Jin Huangfu Mi's "Emperor Century" says: "Yandi Shennong ... tasted vegetation, declared to cure diseases and saved lives."
Tang Sima Zhen's Supplementary Biography of Historical Records of Huang San said: "So (Shennong or Yan Di) made a wax sacrifice, and the plants tasted herbs, and the medicine came into being."
Luo Songmi's "History of Taoism" said: Emperor Yan Shennong "grinds the whip, watches the color and smells the smell, and tastes the vegetation, which is just right. Try to calm the poison, calm the dryness and cold, detect the fear and evil, distinguish the ministers and envoys, and treat the disease to support his life. When you encounter seventy poisons a day, you are extremely angry and rich. "
Zheng Songqiao's "Tongzhi" records: "People have an unknown medicine stone, which is the smell of vegetation, the nature of cold and heat, and they know the meaning of the monarch, minister, assistant and envoy, and they all try it, and they encounter seventy poisons a day. Or Yun Shennong tasted hundreds of medicines and died a hundred times a day, and the income was 360, which should be the number of Sundays. Later generations inherited it as a book, called Shennong Materia Medica. He also prescribed a prescription to treat the disease. "
Qing Yuan Liao's Supplement to Zi Zhi Jian said: "Make a wax sacrifice and whip the plants. People have diseases, but they don't know the medicine stone. Emperor Yan began to taste the nutrients of flowers and trees, to investigate their warmth, cold and heat, and to distinguish the meaning of their assistance. He often encountered twelve kinds of poisons in one day, and he turned them into prescriptions, cured the people's diseases, and the medical road was established. "