Pharmacopeia History

It was once said that “Mother Nature… is an infinitely more ingenious and exciting chemist” (Taylor, 2004). Plants often protect themselves by producing chemicals that are toxic to certain species. When ingested by humans these same toxins can have different effects - nutritious, poisonous, or therapeutic. The chemicals in plants that produce the medicinal effects are called phytochemicals. These are often characterized by a bitter taste. Anthropologists believe animals evolved a pattern of seeking out bitter plants as a response to illness. Just as animals learned to, humans have also learned to seek treatment from plants.

Documentation of the use of medicinal plants dates back to prehistoric times. Neanderthals living 60,000 years ago left evidence of the use of medicinal plants, including species of plants that ethno-medicine uses today. Evidence of medicinal herbs is found in the Lascaux cave paintings and date between 13,000 and 25,000 BC. Imhotep, the first physician known by name, may have had the first written medical plant cures on papyrus scrolls in 2,900 BC.

As recently as the late 1800s, plants were still the singular form of accepted pharmacological treatment for disease. John Rudolphy’s Pharmaceutical Director of All the Crude Drugs Now in General Use; Their Etymology and Names in Alphabetical Order, (2nd edition, 1872) is a botanical list of all the plants known at that time which were used to treat physical ailments. No other chemicals were employed in the field of medicine; plants were the only ‘drugs’ used to treat illness.

It was not until the early 20th century that researchers began to synthesize drugs. Aspirin, often considered in the western world as a ‘wonder drug,’ even has its ties to plants. Tribes of Native Americans, as well as the ancient Greeks, used extracts of willow tree bark (Salix sp.) to treat pain which lead to the discovery of the compound acetylsalicylic acid. This is the wonder drug’s painkilling ingredient. A large portion of the world’s modern medicines have been synthesized from plant chemicals in much this same way.