我国古代神话“神农尝百草”素为传统中医药学,即“本草学”公认的原始渊源和正宗典范.神话未可训,医药凭可据,此间逻辑是什么?“尝”.“神农”其实是古代“英雄祖先”的一个托名和借用,却遗留下了一种在饮食与医药传统中的实践原则和尝试方式,具有中国式“实验科学”的意义.世人皆知中西医泾渭分明,却未能厘别其中的实验原则和方式的重大差异,仿佛“毒草”与“良药”之间并非绝对“二元对峙”,都有待于讨论.本文借“神农尝百草”之故,讨论“尝”之于中国文化遗产中的丰富内含.
Chinese ancient myth of "Shen nong tasting a hundred herbs'is the origin and model of traditional Chinese medicine Herbalism. Myth is unlikelihood,but medicines are genuine and believable,what is the logic between them? "Tasting". "Shen nong was just an excuse of heroic ancestors,but they left us a practical principle and a way for diet and traditional medicine,which has Chinese style meaning as a kind of "experimenting science". It is well-known that there is clear distinction between Chinese and western medicine,but the differences on experimenting principles and ways have not been distinguished as if there is no absolutely bingry collision between"poisoned herbs'and"good medicines". All these are waiting to be explained. The paper wants to discuss the rich meaning of"Shen nong tasting a hundred herbs"in Chinese culture heritages.