Materi Obat Tradisional & Fitoterapi – Dwi Hartanti

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HISTORY OF PHARMACOGNOSY AND HERBAL MEDICINE

Shaima M Kamel

Pharmacognosy is the oldest prepared medicines. The first recorded

branch of all pharmaceutical sciences. The prescriptions were found in Egyptian
medicinal use of plants dates back to tombs. These are the hieratic papyri. The
prehistoric ages. The primitive man had a most precious papyrus was that found by
good knowledge of the vegetable kingdom E. Smith, also known as the surgical
of his surroundings. Forests and meadows papyrus. It is a copy of an old text dated to
were the pharmacies that supplied him 2980-2700 B.C. The other two papyri are;
with the drugs needed for his medicinal Ebers papyrus dated back to 3500 years is
use. Simple observation and crude now preserved in University of Leipzig, and
experimenting with slight intelligence led the gynacologic papyrus of Kahun and
him to differentiate between harmful and Gurob. Nevertheless, they contain about
useful plants. 400 primary materials enclosed probably in
Folk medicine emerged by the “Egyptian Pharmacopeia” of the
acquiring knowledge of crude drugs. Very ancient Egyptians. The first group of this
gradually primitive man learnt which plants materials includes those of an animal origin
were good edible and which were e.g. blood, meat, horn, milk, egg, honey,
poisonous. He also found that some plants wine and excreta. The second group
(spices or condiments) preserved meat and includes materials of vegetable origin e.g.
disguised unpleasant flavours and that Acacia, Aloes, Gum, Myrrh, Pomegranate,
other plants could be used for making Colocynth, Linseed, Coriander, Cumin,
extracts useful as arrow-or spear-poison. Anise, Castor, etc. They used all the
The discovery of the healing vegetable organs e.g. roots, rhizomes
properties of plants is as old as the human flowers, leaves, fruits, seeds, as well as oils,
race and was attributed to the gods and ashes.
themselves. It was thought that poisonous
plants were the abodes of evil spirits, and The Mesopotamian Therapeutic Formulae
curative plants and herbs, the abodes of The Babylonian medicine, known
benevolent spirits or deities. through the interpretations of the tables
Vegetable drug-collectors were written in cuneiform script, (lows of
known since the early history of man. In Hamorbi 772 B.C.). The drugs used were
this way many drugs still employed at the mainly vegetable origin.The Babylonian
present day first came into use. Even now king MardoukHappaliden 11 (772 B.C.) had
among certain primitive people, medicinal built a garden for medicinal plants e.g.
evolution is at this stage and it is often Apples, Pomegranate, Cucumber, Oranges,
found that plants which have a medicinal Garlic, Onion, Saffron, Fennel, Thyme,
reputation are those which are most Coriander, Rose, Laurel, Liquorices.
worthy of detailed scientific examination. The other important notice was
the application of the drugs in the form of
Ancient Egyptian Period a decoction, usually administered before
The Ancient Egyptians 3000 B.C. sunrise, as the decoctions were prepared
were experts in using drugs for curing by night. The drugs were usually mixed
diseases. The healing of the sick was with honey, water, oil or wine. The
undertaken by priest doctor and Mesopotamian formulae include 250
pharmacist “son” who prescribed and materials of plants, 180 materials of animal

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source. Many of these drugs were known in the old Chinese medicine to be
to the ancient Egyptians. discovered.

Old Indian Medicine

The principal aim of the old Indian The Greek and Romans
medicine was to prolong human life, hence They treated many diseases by
the knowledge of the secrets of vegetable drugs. Pythagoras (580 B.C.) used drugs as
drugs. So the “Riveda” and Ayurveda Mustard . Hippocrates (466 B.C.) was
(Acoko 2000 B.C.), contained the scared familiar with numerous drugs, and wrote
medicinal plants. The fresh plants were Corpus Hipocraticum 460 B.C.
considered to be the most effective, and Theophrates, (370 B.C.) pupil of Aristotle
the plants must be taken from fertile soil enumerated about 500 plants; Ergot was
washed with pure water, exposed to sun one of them.
for a certain period and protected in the The invasion of Alexander the
shade, always directed towards the north. Great (335-325 B.C.) helped to increase the
They classified drugs into two categories; number of drugs known at that time. The
the purgative group including cathartics, Greek Empire was followed by that of the
emetics and these increasing nasal flows; Romans, and Dioscorides who was a Greek
and the tranquilizers. They used milk by birth, travelled to Egypt and other
decoctions, butter, honey sugar, sesame oil countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea
as bases for oral medicines. The most and became acquainted with a great
celebrated Indian drugs are; Sandal wood, variety of plants and drugs. He was the first
Clove, Pepper, Cardamom, Caraway, to describe drugs, and his work “Greek
Ginger, Castor oil, Sesame oil, Aloes, Herbal of Dioscorides” included not less
Galangal and cane Sugar. than 5000 medicinal plants in addition to
animal and mineral drugs. He is considered
The Old Chinese Medicine the first known Pharmacognosist.
Beside the famous acupuncture, Piny who lived about the same
the Chinese medicine is very acknowledged time as Dioscrides, was also an eminent
for the herbal medicine. The Pen Ts’ao author of natural history.Galen (134-299
Kang Moa 1000 B.C. (published only at A.D.) was a physician and to him is ascribed
1597) contained an incredible number of the use of “Galenical preparations”.On the
medicinal plants and drugs of animal subsequent declince of the Roman Empire,
origin. The Chinese thought that for every a retrogression of scientific activity took
disease, there must be a drug is only place until the Arabian Empire rose.
provided by the nature. So their book
includes many recipes for every disease. Islamic Contribution
Among the plants highly esteemed for its When the Roman Empire crumbled
magic health inducing power is Ginseng, in its turn and Europe entered the long
other drugs e.g. Rhubarb, Star-Anise, night of the dark ages. It was the Islamic
Pomegranate, Aconite drugs were greatly civilization that took up and kept light the
employed. torch of medicine, not only translating the
The Pen Ts’ao Kang Moa could be Greece-Roman medical literature into
considered as pharmacopeia, it includes Arabic, but also adding commentaries and
8160 formulae prepared from 1871 raw original observations. It is in Islamic
materials essentially of vegetable origin. writings that are to be found the first
The drugs were used in the form of beginnings of chemistry; the very name of
decoctions, powders, pills, poultices, which is derived from an Arabic word
suppositories and ointments. There is a lot “Kemia” as were also such familiar words
alcohol and alkali. It was through the
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Islamic literature that the earlier medical Modern Age

knowledge returned to Europe. The earliest books containing
The Arabs added numerous new descriptions of drugs related to as
plants and medicaments to those already “MateriaMedica” were called “Herbals”
known to the Greeks and Romans. In their e.g. “OrtisSanitatis” 1485, meaning garden
days, pharmacy attained its highest of health written in Latin and Published in
reputation and become an independent 1491 in Mainz and containing items from
branch of medicine. It is interesting to note mineral, animal and vegetable origin
that the first dispensary was opened in arranged alphabetically.
Baghdad, the center of trade in those days. Before the study of drugs was
The dispensary was made of Sandal wood systematized, they were commonly
and named “Sandalia”. Rhazes (850-932 described as independent units and for
A.D.) who was born at Rai in Persia was a ease of reference were arranged
very prominent physician and the director alphabetically under the great divisions of
of Baghdad Hospital in the days of El- minerals, plants & animals.
Mansour. He published a famous book,
“ALHAWI KABEER” ‫ﺎﻟﻜﺒﯿﺮ‬ ‫اﻟﺤﺎوﯾ‬. Folk Medicine and Phytotherapy
Outstanding among the Islamic Folk medicine has evolved through
writers was IbnSina (980-1037 A.D.) His the knowledge (acquired through
“Canon” of medicine has been described as centuries) of the preventive and curative
the most famous medical text ever written properties of crude drugs.This knowledge
and as having dominated the medical was obtained from the different sources
schools of Europe and Asia and served as e.g.:
the chief source of medical knowledge for  Verbally by communication with
5 centuries, till the 15th century. "‫"اﻟﻘ ﺎﻧﻮن‬ witches, hunters, worriers of primitive
Ibn Al-Baitar was the best Arabian tribes, healers, herbalists, attars,
pharmacognosist and botanist and ranks Bedouins.
with Dioscorides in that respect. His book  Recorded e.g. ancient Egyptian papyri,
“Jame-ul-Muffradat” contains description cuneiforms scripts of Hamorabi,
of 2000 drugs. "‫"ﺟﺎﻣﻌ ﺎﻟﻤﻔﺮدات‬ Rigveda&Ayrvedas of vedie Sanskrit of
ShaikhDawood El-Antaki. Wrote a India, Pen Ts’ao Kang Moa of Chinam
book named “Tazkarat Uli Al-Albab”, now Corpus Hippocraticum, Greek herbal of
known as “Tazkarat Dawood Antaki” which Dioscorides, El Kanon Fil Tib of Avicena,
describes several hundred herbs besides Sharh Asmaa El Okar of El Kortobi,
drugs of animal and mineral origin, it was Tazkarat Oli Al Albab of El Antaki and
written about 1008 A.D. "‫"ﺗ ﺬﻛﺮةداوود‬ Mofradat Al AdwiahWalAgzia of Ibn El
For a short period, there had been Bitar.
a slow progress in science until the When this knowledge is presented
discovery of America and the sea routes to to doctors, patients in a suitable,
the East and West Indies, which gave a acceptable pharmaceutical form, this
new impulse to the revival of study of constitutes the bases for phytotherapy.
drugs.