A long time ago, there was a young boy called Zhang Xiao'er. He once suffered from bleeding. Blood flowed out of his mouth and nose and there was blood in his stools. Though he had visited various doctors, it was not cured. It seemed that he was on the verge of death. One day, a doctor called Tian passed by. With a gleam of hope, Zhang Xiao'er's mother invited the doctor to treat his son. After examining the young boy carefully, the doctor took out a kind of herb, ground the root of the herb into powder and made the Zhang Xiao'er take the powder. After a while bleeding was stop actually. The whole family was very grateful to the doctor and treated him cordially. While leaving, the doctor presented the family with some seeds of the herb and advised them to grow the herb in their garden for reservation.
One year later, the daughter of the local office was suffered from bleeding too. Although his father invited many famous doctors in the county, the disease was not cured. He was so anxious that he had to send an official notice that he would present 1000 teals of silver to the older one who could treat the disease of his daughter and would engage his daughter to the young one who could treat the disease of his daughter.
After receiving the notice, Zhang Xiao'er took the herb growing in his garden to the yamun and made the office's daughter take the powder of the herb. But she died after taking the herb unexpectedly. The office was so anger that he ordered the heelers to beat up Zhang Xiao'er cruelly. Zhang Xiao'er had to say the facts.
The local office ordered the heelers to arrest doctor Tian immediately. After he was brought to the office, the doctor had to defend himself and said, "The herb is effective to various hemorrhage, but it should use the root of the herb that has grown for three to seven years. The herb used by Zhang Xiao'er has just grown for one year and certainly cannot treat the disease." He also ask the office to let him identify the herb in public. So he take a knife from a heeler and cut into his leg to cause bleeding, then he calmly took out the herb. After he took the powder of the herb orally and applied it on the wound, blood was stop immediately. It made the people around struck dumb. And the office had to release him.
In order to make the later generations remember the lesson, people name the root of the herb as "san-qi" (three-seven) or "Tian-sanqi", i.e., notoginseng. It means that the root of the herb used to treat hemorrhage should be the one that has grown three to seven years.
相传，很久以前有个叫张小二的青年人患了“出血症”，口、鼻流血，虽然多方诊治，均未见效，眼看生命危在旦夕。一天，有位姓田的江湖郎中路过这里，张小二的母亲抱着一线希望，把田郎中请到家里为儿医治。只见田郎中一边为病人诊脉，一边询问病情，最后拿出一种草药的根研成碎末，让病人吞服。过了一会儿，病人的血竟止住了。张小二全家感激不尽，一定要留郎中在家住上几天。田郎中见张小二的病已快痊愈，便告辞欲出。临行前，送张家一些草药种子，并嘱其种在园中以备日后需用。
过了一年，一位知府大人的独生女儿，也患了出血症。虽请遍了当地名医诊治，病情却毫无起色。这位知府大人急得团团转，后来只得为女儿治病贴出告示：谁能妙手回春，治好女儿的病，年长者赏白银千两，年轻者招为东床。
这天张小二揭下告示，带上园中的草药，便直奔知府衙门。知府见了张小儿，便叫管家请张小二给小姐治病。张小二拿出要研成粉末，给小姐服下。谁知不到一个时辰，小姐竟一命呜呼。知府大怒，命令差役将其捆绑起来，严刑拷打，迫他从实招来。张小二忍受不住这皮肉之苦，只得道出了实情。
张小二供认之后，知府大人马上下令通缉捉拿姓田的郎中。不久田郎中就被差役逮捕，定他“谋害杀人”罪，田郎中不服，大声申辩道：“此药材对各种出血之症均有奇效，但是必须生长三至七年的根方能有效。而张小二所用的药，仅生长刚满一年，时间太短了，没有药性，当然救不了小姐的性命。”随即，他请求知府大人当众验证。知府大人同意，于是他从差役手中要过利刃，在自己的大腿上划了一刀，顿时血如泉涌。接着他不慌不忙地取出药末，内服外敷，伤口即刻止血、结痂。这场精彩表演，使在场的人无不目瞪口呆，知府大人也惊叹不已，无话可说。
为了让后人记住这一惨痛教训，人们便把这种草药的根定名为“三七”或“田三七”，但作药用的根，生长期必须是三至七年的。
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