Shen Nong - the story of emperor Shen Nong

According to Chinese legend the first cup of tea was sipped by Shen Nong in 2738, B.C.E. However, emperor Shen Nong* was much more than just the discoverer of the world's favorite beverage; he was also the father of Chinese agriculture, the father of Chinese medicine, a half god, and a mythical emperor.

More specifically, it's said he was born to a princess who was possessed by a dragon. As part of this legend, he had the horns of a bull, a transparent stomach, could talk by the age of three days, and could walk by seven days. He also invented the plough and helped turn ancient China from a society of hunter-gatherers into an agricultural society, earning him his name, which means "Devine Farmer," or, "Devine Husbandman."

Shen Nong is also one of the "San Huang," one of the three ancient emperors and forefathers of Chinese civilization. His name appears in several ancient history texts, including The Book of Rites, Records of the Grand Historian, and Songs of Chu. He is said to have ruled form 2737-2698 B.C.E.

His transparent stomach also came in handy for one of his favorite hobbies, testing various plants and recording their medicinal value. He is said to have tasted several hundreds of herbs, with 365 of them being recorded in The Devine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic**. He is even said to have been poisoned 72 times in one day! In addition to his other accolades, his contributions in this field have earned him recognition as one of the founders of Chinese herbal medicine.

As to the story of how he discovered tea, on the day he had poisoned himself 72 times, he was walking with his imperial entourage in Southern China (present day Sichuan) when the group decided to take an afternoon rest in the forest. Some water was boiling, as Shen Nong had taught all his people to do to make it drinkable, when a gust of wind blew a leaf into the pot. As per his curious nature towards plants, Shen Nong couldn't resist trying the brew. After drinking it, he claims to have felt invigorated and refreshed. The tea had also cleared his stomach and alleviated the 72 poisons. Tea thus earned its first place in world history, as a medicine.

While the legends of sshen Nong may seem hard to believe, his frequent appearance in history books, and other recordings of tea's original use as a medicine, point to at least a morsel of truth behind the folklore.

*Reports vary slightly between 2730-2740. The date is curiously specific, which some researchers attribute to the Chinese choosing a specific date to add to the story for unknown reasons.
**This volume was actually compiled several thousand years later during the end of the Western Han Dynasty, roughly between 25-220 B.C.E. As such, it isn't accepted as actual proof of the knowledge of tea dating back to Shen Nong.