Medical Botany Introduction: History of Plant Use in Medicine
History Prehistoric times Recorded history Sumerian clay tablets Ancient Egypt Edwin Smith Papyrus Ebers Papyrus Hearst Papyrus Kahun Gynecological Papyrus
Portion of Ebers Papyrus
More History Ancient China (Pun-tsao) Ancient India (Rig-Veda basis for Ayurvedic medicine) Foundations of Western Medicine -- Ancient Greece and Rome Hippocrates Theophastus Dioscorides Galen
Illustrations from De Materia Medica
Ancient Greek Coins with Silphium (or Silphion - Ferula)
History continues Fall of Rome – 476 A.D. Middle Ages First Apothecary Shops Avicenna (Ibn Sina ( A.D.) Age of Herbals Doctrine of Signatures
Path to modern medicine Medicine and botany 18 th Century William Withering 19 th Century 20 th Century Early 21 st Century
Growth of Alternative Medicine Complementary and Alternative Medicine - CAM aromatherapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic manipulation, herbal medicine, hypnosis, massage therapy, and many others Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 expanded the category of dietary supplements to include other products such as herbs, other botanicals, amino acids, and metabolites
Traditional (herbal) medicine today People's Republic of China India Other areas Tropical rain forests WHO interest