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Shennong (Traditional: 神農; Simplified: 神农; Pinyin: Shen2 nong2) is a legendary emperor and culture hero of Chinese mythology who is believed to have lived some 5,000 years ago and who taught the ancient peoples of the practices of agriculture. Appropriately, his name means "The Heavenly Farmer". He is also credited with effortlessly identifying hundreds of medicinal (and poisonous) herbs and various plants of that nature, of which were crucial towards the development of Traditional Chinese medicine.
The most well-known work attributed to Shennong is the 神农本草经 (The Shennong Herb-Root Classic) -- first compiled some time during the Warring States Period -- which lists the various medicinal herbs discovered by Shennong by grade and rarity.
Shennong's full title is 炎帝神农氏, which translates to "The Yan Emperor and Patriarch Shennong". He was deified as one of the San Huang for his contributions to mankind.
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