Shen Nong
Chinese God of Agriculture and Herbal Medicine.The second of the legendary San Huang (Three Sovereigns) to rule China, Shen Nong was a mortal who lived around 2800 BC. He taught his fellow mortals how to farm, and became known as the Holy Ploughman King.
Legend tells that Shen Nong learned which plants were good to eat and which were poisonous by sampling each one in turn. He was poisoned many times, but also in this way gained an encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine.
As a reward for his efforts, which were of great benefit to mankind, Shen Nong was deified.