Sun Ssu-mo [Su Simiao] was a child prodigy. He had mastered the Chinese classics by age 20 and then became a well-known medical practitioner

Sun Simiao of Yao county in Shaanxi province, was a famous doctor of the Tang dynasty. He gave much ado to the virtue of medicine and said: Human life is worth a thousand gold bars, with a virtue of one prescription you can fix it. In 652 compiled the famous Qian Jin Yao Fang with 30 scrolls and later composed Qian Jin Yi Fang with another 30 scrolls. In his theory the virtue of medicine came into play as well as thorough understanding of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He contributed greatly to malnutrition illnesses, such as recommending seaweed to people living in the mountain regions who suffered from goiter, and recommending liver of ox and sheep for person suffering from night blindness. He was also a Taoist alchemist, seeking demon-dispelling remedies, including spells, herbal formulas, and toxic alchemical preparations. By later generations he was nicknamed the Herbal King.