《神农本草经》，简称《本经》，是现存最早的中药学专着，作者不详，约成书于秦汉时期。书内记载的药物凡365种，分上品、中品和下品三品。原书早已佚失。南朝陶弘景为《神农本草经》做注，并补充《名医别录》，编定《本草经集注》共七卷，把药物的品种数目增加至七百三十多种。清朝孙星衍将《神农本草经》考订辑复，成为现在通行本。

《神农本草经》为中国现存较早的药物学重要文献，本书把药分为三品：认为无毒的称上品为君，毒性小的称中品为臣，毒性剧烈的称下品为佐使。

Shennong Bencaojing (also The Classic of Herbal Medicine and Shen-nung Pen-tsao Ching; simplified Chinese:神农本草经; traditional Chinese:神農本草經; pinyin:Shénnóng Běncǎo Jīng; Wade–Giles:Shen-nung Pen-ts'ao Ching) is a Chinese book on agriculture and medicinal plants. Its origin has been attributed to the mythical Chinese sovereign Shennong, who was said to have lived around 2800 BC. Researchers believe the text is a compilation of oral traditions, written between about 200 and 250 AD (Unschuld 1986: 17). The original text no longer exists but is said to have been composed of three volumes containing 365 entries on medicaments and their description.