Fantastic Herbal Medicine

Oh my god, 200 cobra snakes have escaped from a village near Nanjing. Oh, that's so scary. Oh, I'm really not the biggest fan of snakes, let alone a cobra snake. Oh, imagine if you're just walking down the path and suddenly a cobra just sprang out right in front of you. What would you do? Well, today I'm searching for the answer to that question. Here in China there is a clan of people who still follow the ancient Shen Nong, also known as the Emperor of Five Grains, who was around 5,000 years ago. They still retain much mysterious wisdom from the past, and I'm sure they must know a way to protect themselves from snakes. So, let's go find out what it is. Hello, sir. Hello. Are you from Shen Nong? No, I'm not. I'm from Yao Nong. Yao Nong? I don't understand what you foreigners are saying. I'm looking for the antidote for cobra snakes. Do you have it here? Do you have the antidote for cobra snakes? Yes, I do. There's one in my garden. Is this for cobra snakes? Yes, for cobra snakes. Is it for cobra snakes or... It's used to cure snake bites. So, it's used to cure snake bites? Yes, it's used to cure snake bites. You just have to squeeze it a little bit. Wow, that's amazing. I see you have a lot of medicinal herbs here. Yes, we have a lot of medicinal herbs here. The usage of herbal medicines in China has a history stretching back over thousands of years. There are now over 12,000 different varieties of Chinese herbal medicines, including medicines that come from plants, animals, and minerals. As the majority of medicines are plant-based, Chinese medicine has then also become known as Chinese herbal medicine. Wow, Mother Nature really is incredible. There are miracles around every corner. She's given us so many gifts. Just then, I was up in the mountains for only about an hour, and I've come back with so many different types of medicinal herbs. Let me show you what I've collected. So, in my basket here, I've got three must-take herbs that you have to bring with you when you're travelling outdoors. This is the little baby that I've been searching for all day. This is called Tie Gan Hao, and it's for curing snake bites. Here I have Qing Hao. It's like a cousin with Tie Gan Hao. In here is a naturally occurring chemical that combined with other medicines can cure malaria. So, that's a pretty amazing herb right here. And I've got this little cute, pretty baby. Okay, it's like a Chinese violet. This is called Siu Kua Di Ding, and this can be your new detox cleanse. So, no need to buy those expensive cleansers online. This, brewed up in some tea, will help get rid of all the toxins in your body. There are some plants that can be used directly after they are picked. However, the majority of plants need to be processed and cured so that toxic elements can be removed and the medicinal elements can be extracted to their full potency. And, of course, it makes it much easier to preserve and store. Renowned medical researcher Li Shizhen used the book Classified Materia Medica of a Thousand Years Ago as a foundation for creating the monumental work Compendium of Materia Medica, which was much needed to suit the developing times. The Compendium of Materia Medica was first distributed in the now city of Nanjing three years after the author Li Shizhen's death. The book recorded 1,892 different medical plants and 11,000 remedies. And not only just in China. Every year, more and more medical practitioners from around the world are coming to China to learn the herbal medicine here. The age-old knowledge of the herbal farmers is now becoming understood and appreciated in modern scientific terms all over the globe.