Moreover, in this era, Shennong Baicao Classic is very popular with theologians, who believe that there is an elixir of life in the world. These toxic drugs, after eating, will have a small number of side effects, but after the side effects will bring spiritual pleasure. They think this is the same as taking fairy medicine before ascension, so these drugs are also listed as drugs that can cure diseases.
However, this "Shen Nong's Herbal Classic" only created a precedent for medicine, and has not yet formed a truly mature and stable Chinese medicine system, so Shen Nong's Herbal Classic is only a book with certain reference value.
For example, cinnabar, which was used to treat nerves at that time, was tested by modern methods and contained arsenic, which is a very toxic drug. Because the arsenic content in cinnabar is low, people feel paralyzed after eating, which can really soothe the nerves. So even if you tell them that this thing is poisonous, they will still eat it. If cinnabar is not used to soothe the nerves, then there will be no other drugs to replace cinnabar.
There is a saying in Chinese medicine: it is a three-point poison. The ancients have admitted that anything that can cure diseases itself contains certain toxic ingredients. These toxic ingredients are recognized by Chinese medicine. The ancients believed that one thing materialized and one thing reduced another. To treat one poison, one must attack the former with another. As written in many martial arts novels, if you are accidentally poisoned, there must be an antidote within three meters.
So Chinese medicine can't be eaten often. When ancient doctors wrote prescriptions, they usually wrote a few prescriptions, and they couldn't eat them after eating them.