The core philosophy of Chinese medicine is correspondence between man and nature. China has been an agricultural country for thousands of years. To get a good harvest, ancient people would follow the changes of seasons and climates to adjust their farming work like sowing and reaping.
Ancient Myths and Traditional Chinese Medicine
There was a mountain named Gua Tai in Tianshui. It is said to be where Fu Xi made the Eight Diagrams. At that time, people knew little about nature, so were scared and puzzled by rain, wind, lightning and thunder. Fu Xi wanted to figure out what was behind, so he often stood on the mountain to observe the heavenly bodies above and topography below. He also studied the footprints and textures of animals and birds.
Millions of years ago, life was harsh for humans. Wind, storms, thunder, lightning, floods, beasts, plagues and diseases threatened human’s lives all the time. Human instinct and intelligence helped them combat various natural disasters.
Herbs played an important role in relieving pain, treating diseases and saving lives. The one who was crucial in making this become reality is a legendary character—Shen Nong.
Shen Nong was an industrious, brave, intelligent and kind person. He was never at ease when he saw others suffering from injuries or diseases. So he decided to find out what herbs can be helpful. Hot or cold, he collected flowers, roots, leaves and fruits of all plants in the wild. He carefully observed and tasted them one by one and recorded the feelings and effects although he knew it was possible some of them would be poisonous. Finally, he knew the properties and actions of several hundred herbs, and used them to aid those in suffering. Since then, Human life has been better protected and improved.
Huang Di established his state at You Xiong (Xinzhen, Henan Province), so he was also called You Xiong. At that time, Yan Di Shen Nong was in decline while Chi You, a cruel chieftain, started wars between states, trying to conquer China.
Huang Di’s throne lasted for a long time. During than time, China was stable, strong, and developed. A lot of inventions were made, such as Chinese characters, palace, boat, vehicles, clothes and compass carriage. It is said that Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang and other ancient emperors were all his descendants. So Huang Di was considered the ancestor of all Chinese.