Plants in Medicine

Plants in Medicine
Since the beginning of life, plants have played a major role in influencing man and his thought.

Similarly, man has influenced the forms and characteristics of plants in helping them adapt to man’s progress.

This is evidence from the changes in vegetation and environment, as agriculture and technology, central to human civilization, continue to progress.

If go back in time a few thousand years and we can find that plants were widely used as food and medicine.

Agriculture is believed to have flourished nearly 10,000 years ago, and there were records on medicinal plants even in ancient times.

In 490 BC, Hippocrates, the ’Father of Medicine’, established the Temple of Aesculapius, a college in medicinal studies.

Hippocrates learnt about medicinal herbs from the Egyptians and after his death, this knowledge was passed on to Aristotle.

Aristotle was a naturalist and tutor to Alexander the Great. With Alexander the Great’s army expeditions, he traveled far and wide.

He collected various herbs and learned about them from captive doctors.

One of his pupils, Theophrastus (372-278 BC) developed his works and produced two books called The History of Plants and Reasons for Plants.

He studied over five hundred plants from the Mediterranean Valley and categorized them scientifically. He also discussed medicinal value of these plants.


When the Romans took over the power from the Greeks the focus in medicinal study naturally shifted to the west.

Consequently, the Arab scientists began to learn, preserve and develop the field of medicine and botany. The Muslims especially were highly interested in agriculture and medicine.

Muhammad Ibnu Zakariyya al-Razi and Abu Ali Ibnu Sina were two great experts then.
Plants in Medicine