Shen Nong was the ruler of China about 5,000 years ago (approximately 2800 BC) and he taught the ancient Chinese people agricultural practices and herbal medicine. Shen Nong literally means “Divine Farmer” and he has become known as the father of Chinese agriculture and the “Emperor of the Five Grains”. Chinese healers of that era began tasting herbs, testing their medicinal properties and explored the effects of different plants on disease. Between 145-90 BC, Sima Qian wrote the first systematic Chinese historical book Shi Ji (The Records of the Grand Historian). Sima Qian recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor (traditionally dated around 2600 BC) to his time and became known as the father of Chinese historiography. In the Shi Ji, Sima Qian stated that “Shen Nong tasted hundreds of herbs and was the originator of Chinese herbal medicine.”