“[... ] ad agritudinem podagram [... ]”: sobre el empleo del guayaco en los comienzos del siglo XVI / “[... ] ad agritudinem podagram [... ]”: on the use of guaiac at the beginning of the 16th century

En los últimos años se ha abordado el estudio de distintas prescripciones y consejos dietéticos en lenguas vernáculas de personajes vinculados a las élites castellanas, catalanas y navarras, datados entre la segunda mitad del siglo XV y finales del XVI. Uno de los personajes estudiados es el clérigo Juan Rena, veneciano de origen, que desde principios del siglo XVI ocupó puestos de responsabilidad en la administración castellana. Nombrado capellán de la reina Juana I de Castilla en 1508, fue Rena la ‘mano derecha’ de Fernando II de Aragón en la restructuración administrativa del reino de Navarra tras su conquista en 1512. Entre la nume-rosa documentación relacionada con su persona se han localizado dos textos para tratar la gota, basado en un ingrediente procedente del Nuevo Mundo, el palosanto o guayaco, en un periodo relativamente temprano. (AU)

MEDICINAL HERBS AND PLANTS IN MEDIEVAL MEDICAL PRACTICE (BASED ON THE LATIN POEM "DE VIRIBUS HERBARUM" BY MACER FLORIDUS).

OBJECTIVE: The aim: The aim of our research is to make an inventory and systematize prescriptions for the use of medicinal plants during the early Middle Ages, based on Macerus Floridus' original Latin text "De viribus herbarum", to develop awareness of the role of phytotherapy in medieval medicine and the possibility of integrating herbal medicine with modern conventional methods of prevention and treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The material for this study is a medieval Latin didactic poem by the 11th-century French physician and researcher Odo of Meung-sur-Loire (pseudonym Macer Floridus), the extant manuscripts of which are known in the history of medicine as "De viribus herbarum" or "De natura herbarum". The medical-pharmacological treatise (published in 1831 by Ludwig Choulant) describes the medicinal properties of seventy-seven plants of peasant gardens, grasses of meadows and fields of Europe, medicinal herbs of medieval apothecary gardens as well as aromatic plants and spices of the East. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Medicinal plants and herbs were successfully used to treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, spleen, hepatobiliary system, urinary and respiratory organs and were also applied in gynecology, dermatology, ophthalmology and dentistry.

[Franciscus Sylvius: A Life for Clinic, Research, Teaching And a Little Gin]. / Franciscus Sylvius: Ein Leben für Klinik, Forschung, Lehre und ein bisschen Gin.

Franciscus Sylvius, latinized from Franz de le Boë (*15 March 1614 in Hanau; † 14 November 1672 in Leiden), was a Hessian-Dutch physician, anatomist, and natural scientist of Flemish descent. He was an important clinician and iatrochemist, and is considered the founder of scientifically oriented medicine and clinical chemistry. Sylvius introduced the concept of affinity and dealt with digestive processes and body fluids. He was one of the leading exponents of the concept of blood circulation developed by William Harvey. As the person responsible for practical medicine in Leiden, Sylvius established bedside teaching as part of the medical curriculum, and he introduced his students to clinical medicine in an experimental way, both contrary to the rules of the time. He was also interested in pharmacology, herbalism and botany. For heartburn and digestive disorders, Sylvius mixed juniper berries, herbs and alcohol to create a medicine. According to legend, Sylvius marketed this medicine as Genever, for which the name Gin was later adopted in the British Isles, but not only used for medical purposes. Accordingly, the city of birth of Sylvius today calls itself a "birthplace of gin".

"Medicine of the Grassroots": Korean Herbal Medicine Industry and Consumption during the Japanese Colonial Period.

There is no doubt that the colonial period was a critical time for the establishment and expansion of modern Western medicine in Korea. However, did this act as a catalyst for the overall decline of traditional Korean medicine? While previous studies mainly focus on research based on the concept of Uisaeng (traditional Korean medicine doctor) and the medical policies implemented by the Japanese Government-General of Korea, this paper begins with the Korean herbal medicine industry, and comprehensively investigates the distribution and consumption of Korean herbal medicines during the colonial period from three perspectives: the policies for Korean medicine merchants implemented by the Japanese Government-General of Korea, changes in the Korean herbal medicine industry, and consumption of Korean herbal medicines in the Korean society. The colonial authorities' intention was to foster the advancement of Western medicine and phase out traditional Korean medicine. However, they merely imposed limitations on Uisaengs' operations-this policy loophole objectively left a window for Korean medicine merchants. Moreover, against the backdrop of the growing popularity of Western medicine and restrictions on the development of traditional Korean medicine by colonial authorities, the Korean herbal medicine industry, as one of the few "national industries" dominated by and serving Koreans, showed its tenacious vitality during that time. Korean medicine merchants responded to market changes with ease. They built different drugstores, such as traditional herbal stores mainly selling traditional Korean medicines, hybrid drugstores that simultaneously dealt with the manufacture and sale of patent medicines, and ginseng drugstores that specialized in the ginseng business. This classification promoted the commercialization of traditional Korean herbal medicine. Another crucial condition for the vitality of the Korean herbal medicine industry is Koreans' preference for traditional Korean medicine. It is an indisputable fact that Western medicine gradually became popular and was recognized by the common man during the colonial period; nonetheless, Eastern medicine and Western medicine were not playing a zero-sum game. Through comprehensive macro and micro analysis, this paper demonstrates that, during the colonial period, when old and new ideas interacted, most Koreans, including upper-class elites and intellectuals who were open-minded about emerging concepts and options and had ample opportunities to avail western medical treatment, preferred traditional Korean medicine. Using Korean herbal medicines for illnesses remained the primary choice, While Western medicine assumed the role of a supplement to traditional treatment. This paper argues that the first reason for this phenomenon is the inertia of tradition, and the second is that Western medicine was not necessarily more effective than Korean herbal medicine at that time. Specifically, it can be considered that, during the colonial period, the growing popularity of Western medicine failed to bring about a radical change in Koreans' regular medical interventions. Simultaneously, the Korean herbal medicine industry, one of the pillars offering medical support to the common man, adapted suitably while relying on the inertia of its own tradition. The industry's vitality and dynamism during the colonial period certainly underscore the need to amend the one-sided narrative of medical modernization vis-à-vis Western medicine.

From ethnobotany to emancipation: Slaves, plant knowledge, and gardens on eighteenth-century Isle de France.

This essay examines the relationship between slavery and plant knowledge for cultivational activities and medicinal purposes on Isle de France (Mauritius) in the second half of the eighteenth century. It builds on recent scholarship to argue for the significance of slaves in the acquisition of plant material and related knowledge in pharmaceutical, acclimatization, and private gardens on the French colonial island. I highlight the degree to which French colonial officials relied on slaves' ethnobotanical knowledge but neglected to include such information in their published works. Rather than seeking to explore the status of such knowledge within European frameworks of natural history as an endpoint of knowledge production, this essay calls upon us to think about the plant knowledge that slaves possessed for its practical implementations in the local island context. Both female and male slaves' plant-based knowledge enriched - even initiated - practices of cultivation and preparation techniques of plants for nourishment and medicinal uses. Here, cultivational knowledge and skills determined a slave's hierarchical rank. As the case of the slave gardener Rama and his family reveals, plant knowledge sometimes offered slaves opportunities for social mobility and, even though on extremely rare occasions, enabled them to become legally free.

[Decipherment of herb medicine Nanwuweizi and Wuweizi in Chinese ancient literature].

Nanwuweizi( Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus) and Wuweizi( Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus) have long-term history of use as common traditional Chinese medicines since the Eastern Han Dynasty( AD.25-220 year).However their information are always confused in ancient literature because they were both used as " Wuweizi". Nanwuweizi and Wuweizi are faced with problems such as confused distribution of producing areas,unclear source plants and efficacy characteristics,which limit modern resource development and application. Based on ancient literatures of materia medica,this study conducted a systematic review from several aspects,i.e. the name,distribution of producing areas,source plants,efficacy characteristics and processing of the two medicines in ancient time. This study clarified five main aspects,as following,ancient production areas and corresponding modern distribution areas; source plants used for medicinal purposes in ancient time; application period and application scope; efficacy characteristics in clinical application;processing method. This study provides a reference for evaluating the quality and for their clinical application and reasonable development of Nanwuweizi and Wuweizi.

American Civil War plant medicines inhibit growth, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

A shortage of conventional medicine during the American Civil War (1861-1865) spurred Confederate physicians to use preparations of native plants as medicines. In 1863, botanist Francis Porcher compiled a book of medicinal plants native to the southern United States, including plants used in Native American traditional medicine. In this study, we consulted Porcher's book and collected samples from three species that were indicated for the formulation of antiseptics: Liriodendron tulipifera, Aralia spinosa, and Quercus alba. Extracts of these species were tested for the ability to inhibit growth in three species of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria associated with wound infections: Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Extracts were also tested for biofilm and quorum sensing inhibition against S. aureus. Q. alba extracts inhibited growth in all three species of bacteria (IC50 64, 32, and 32 µg/mL, respectively), and inhibited biofilm formation (IC50 1 µg/mL) in S. aureus. L. tulipifera extracts inhibited biofilm formation (IC50 32 µg/mL) in S. aureus. A. spinosa extracts inhibited biofilm formation (IC50 2 µg/mL) and quorum sensing (IC50 8 µg/mL) in S. aureus. These results support that this selection of plants exhibited some antiseptic properties in the prevention and management of wound infections during the conflict.

The historical development of pharmacopoeias and the inclusion of exotic herbal drugs with a focus on Europe and Brazil.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: In spite of the rich bio-cultural diversity found in the Neotropics relatively few herbal drugs native to South America are included in the global pharmacopoeia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the attempt to historically explain the inclusion of herbal drugs into official pharmacopoeias we consider the disparate epidemiology and cultural evolution of the New and the Old World. We then trace the development of pharmacopoeias and review forces that worked towards and against the synchronization of pharmacopoeias and highlight the role of early chemical and pharmacological studies in Europe. Finally, we compare the share of exotic and native herbal drug species included in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia with the share of exotic and native species included in the European Pharmacopoeia as well as those used for products registered with ANVISA. RESULTS: The domination of Eurasian herbal drugs in the European Pharmacopoeia seems to be conditioned by the geographical extension of Eurasia, which facilitated the interchange of materia medica and the creation of a consensus of use since ancient times. At the time of the Conquest the epidemiology of the Amerindian populations resembled that of pre-agriculturalist societies while no written consensus around efficacious medicine existed. Subsequently, introduced and well-tried plant species of the Old World gained therapeutic importance in the New World. CONCLUSION: The research focus in Europe and the US resulted in a persistence of herbal drugs with a historic importance in the European and US pharmacopoeias, which gained a status as safe and efficacious. During the last decades only few ethnopharmacological field-studies have been conducted with indigenous Amerindian groups living in the Brazilian Amazon, which might be attributable to difficulties in obtaining research permissions. Newly adopted regulations regarding access to biodiversity and traditional knowledge as well as the simplified procedure for licencing herbal medicinal products in Brazil prospects an interesting future for those aiming at developing herbal medicine based on bio-cultural diversity and respecting the protocols regulating benefit sharing.

Evaluation of an early twentieth century Afghan herbalist's preparations.

Mahomet Allum was a flamboyant philanthropist and herbalist who worked in South Australia in the early part of last century, whose herbal therapies generated some controversy at the time. Two of his preparations have survived to the present day, a general tonic and a treatment for liver and kidney dysfunction. Given the frequent use of pharmaceutical drugs in "tonics" at the time, toxicological analysis was undertaken at Forensic Science SA, Adelaide with liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass-spectrometer (LC-QTOF MS), liquid-chromatography/ diode array detector (LC/UV) and gas chromatography/ nitrogen phosphorous- detector/mass-spectrometer (GC-NPD/MS), to look for common drugs. In addition DNA analysis was also undertaken at Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory (Curtin University) to evaluate the types of plant products used to make these remedies. The general tonic contained genera from the Triticeae (wheat) family as well as the Medicago family (includes alfalfa), possibly as fillers. Other genera found included Utrica (nettle) and Passiflora (passion flower). The preparation for liver and kidney disease also contained genera from the Medicago family as well as genera Arctostaphylos (bear berry) which has traditionally been used for the treatment of dysuria and bladder stones. No common drugs were found. Thus it appears that the two treatments prepared by Mahomet Allum contained only herbal substances and not adulterant pharmaceutical agents. The herbals identified provide an insight into herbalist practices in the early twentieth century.

Accuracy of Dioscorides,' De materia medica (First Century C.E.), Regarding Diuretic Activity of Plants.

OBJECTIVES: Assess whether an ancient text on herbal medicine accurately characterizes a class of herbal diuretics. DESIGN: The Greek text of Dioscorides De materia medica was assessed for herbs stated to have diuretic activity, and then modern research was sought to determine how accurate the ancient assessment of these herbs was. RESULTS: Of the 105 plants cited as having diuretic activity by Dioscorides, 56 (53.3%) genuses are confirmed as being diuretic in animal or human research. For another 38 (36.2%) genuses, no research related to diuresis could be identified. Six (5.7%) genuses had mixed results in modern research, whereas a mere 5 (4.8%) genuses were shown to not have diuretic activity. Considering the 67 genuses that were investigated, 56 (83.6%) were confirmed. CONCLUSION: This analysis confirms that Dioscorides was accurate in determining the diuretic nature of herbs, raising the possibility that he was right about other therapeutic suggestions concerning herbs he made. For the remaining herbs that have not been assessed for diuretic effect, it is not yet known if Dioscorides was accurate. Our findings suggest that the 38 herbs Dioscorides categorized as diuretics that have not been studied for diuretic function are candidates for research in this regard.

A medieval physician: Amirdovlat Amasiatsi (1420-1495).

We aimed to acquaint the reader with a medieval physician, Amirdovlat Amasiatsi, who lived and practiced in the 15th century Anatolia. Amirdovlat wrote several books on medicine mainly focusing on phytotherapy and pharmacology using medicinal plants, animal-derived products and minerals. All his works were written in Middle Armenian, spoken Armenian language of the time. In his writings, Amirdovlat described unique recipes that represent a portrayal of medical knowledge and practice at the time in Anatolia where he lived and worked. He discussed the physical and therapeutic properties as well as geographic distributions of various plants and minerals, using different languages, mainly Turkish, Greek, Arabic, French and Persian. Amirdovlat's works not only enhanced our understanding of Armenian medical practices but also provided great deal of information on those of Ancient Greco-Roman as well as Islamic world, demonstrating close relationship of Armenian medicine with Greco-Roman and Islamic medicine. Amirdovlat accomplished this by amalgamating the past and contemporary practices of his time. In this regard, Amirdovlat's works, in particular "Useless for the Ignorant", are very unique playing a significant role in preserving traditions and heritage of different cultures.

Unexpected healers: Chinese medicine in the age of global migration (Lima and California, 1850-1930). / Sanadores inesperados: medicina china en la era de migración global (Lima y California, 1850-1930).

The massive waves of Chinese migrants arriving in California and Lima in the second half of the nineteenth century played a crucial role in expanding Chinese medicine in both settings. From the late 1860s on, herbalists expanded their healing system beyond their ethnic community, transforming Chinese medicine into one of the healing practices most widely adopted by the local population. This article uses a comparative approach to examine the diverging trajectories of Chinese healers in Peru and the USA, as well as the social and political factors that determined how this foreign medical knowledge adapted to its new environments.

Sanadores inesperados: medicina china en la era de migración global (Lima y California, 1850-1930) / Unexpected healers: Chinese medicine in the age of global migration (Lima and California, 1850-1930)

Resumen Las masivas olas de migrantes chinos que llegaron a California y Lima en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX jugaron un rol clave en la expansión de la medicina china en ambos contextos. Desde fines de la década de 1860, los herbolarios expandieron su sistema de sanación más allá de su comunidad étnica, transformando la medicina china en una de las prácticas de sanación más adoptada por la población local. Desde una perspectiva comparada, este artículo examina las divergentes trayectorias de los sanadores chinos en Perú y EEUU, así como los factores sociales y políticos que determinaron la adaptación de este conocimiento médico, foráneo, en su nuevo entorno.

Abstract The massive waves of Chinese migrants arriving in California and Lima in the second half of the nineteenth century played a crucial role in expanding Chinese medicine in both settings. From the late 1860s on, herbalists expanded their healing system beyond their ethnic community, transforming Chinese medicine into one of the healing practices most widely adopted by the local population. This article uses a comparative approach to examine the diverging trajectories of Chinese healers in Peru and the USA, as well as the social and political factors that determined how this foreign medical knowledge adapted to its new environments.

[Variety and distribution of Anhui native medicinal materials in ancient Chinese materia medica].

Anhui is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Plain, its across warm temperate zone and subtropics. The mountain and water next to each other, which leads to Chinese medicine resources ranked first in East China. The utilization of traditional Chinese medicine resources in Anhui has a long history, which could date back to the publishing time of Ming Yi Bie Lu (Appendant Records of Famous Physicians). And the kinds of traditional Chinese medicine in Song Dynasty ups to 80. There are also some differences in the distribution of various geographical units in terms of the types: Jianghuai hilly region's ups to 64, 25 in Wannan mountainous area, the species in Dabie Mountains and Huaibei plain are 16 and 14 respectively. In addition, the Jianghuai hilly region's and Wannan mountainous area have a long history among of them, which have been reached a peak in the Song Dynasty. The history of native medicinal materials in Anhui recorded in different periods, though combing herbal books. And the results showed that the vast majority of varieties in ancient are the same as modern ones, which provide the historical basis for the rich bulk medicinal materials in Anhui. The distinctions in natural and social environment of different geographical units have effects on the history of the usage of Chinese medicine resources in respective regions. Thus, the variety and distribution of native medicinal materials in Anhui among the Bencao works of different period provides herbalism basis for the protection and utilization of Chinese medicine resources currently.

[Geographical distribution of Chinese herbalists：causes of four distribution centers about Huizhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou].

Based on the "Zhong Guo Ben Cao Yao Ji Kao", Chinese herbalists in past dynasties were counted and analyzed by their living period,numbers and native places. Combined with GIS, the geographical distribution and the formation causes of the four distribution centers of herbalists in past dynasties were discussed. The results showed that, there was a greater difference between the numbers of herbalists in different periods of time, which achieved to the peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In addition, the distribution of herbalists in past dynasties characterized east more and west less, forming the distribution areas centered by Huizhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. Besides, the geographical distributions of Chinese herbalists showed an obvious southward trend since the Song Dynasty.

Demystifying traditional herbal medicine with modern approach.

Plants have long been recognized for their therapeutic properties. For centuries, indigenous cultures around the world have used traditional herbal medicine to treat a myriad of maladies. By contrast, the rise of the modern pharmaceutical industry in the past century has been based on exploiting individual active compounds with precise modes of action. This surge has yielded highly effective drugs that are widely used in the clinic, including many plant natural products and analogues derived from these products, but has fallen short of delivering effective cures for complex human diseases with complicated causes, such as cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and degenerative diseases. While the plant kingdom continues to serve as an important source for chemical entities supporting drug discovery, the rich traditions of herbal medicine developed by trial and error on human subjects over thousands of years contain invaluable biomedical information just waiting to be uncovered using modern scientific approaches. Here we provide an evolutionary and historical perspective on why plants are of particular significance as medicines for humans. We highlight several plant natural products that are either in the clinic or currently under active research and clinical development, with particular emphasis on their mechanisms of action. Recent efforts in developing modern multi-herb prescriptions through rigorous molecular-level investigations and standardized clinical trials are also discussed. Emerging technologies, such as genomics and synthetic biology, are enabling new ways for discovering and utilizing the medicinal properties of plants. We are entering an exciting era where the ancient wisdom distilled into the world's traditional herbal medicines can be reinterpreted and exploited through the lens of modern science.

Ethnopharmacological approach to the herbal medicines of the "Elements Alpha to Delta" in Nikolaos Myrepsos׳ Dynameron. Part II.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dynameron is a Byzantine medical compendium, divided into 24 sections, the "Elements", containing 2667 recipes, most of which inherited by previous physicians of the classic ancient Greek and Hellenistic, and imperial Roman periods. AIM OF THE STUDY: In continuation to our previous study concerning the first and largest chapter of the "Element Alpha" of Nikolaos Myrepsos׳ Dynameron (Valiakos et al., 2015), this paper focuses on the plants quoted in the recipes of the eight following chapters entitled "About Salts", "About Honeypacks" and "About Spreads", all belonging to the same "Element Alpha"; "About Antitussives" and "About Suppositories" belonging to the "Element Beta"; "About women's Cathartics" belonging to the "Element Gamma"; "About Drossaton" and "About Diachrisma", both belonging to the "Element Delta". MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our main primary source material was the codex kept in the National Library of France (in Paris) under the number grec. 2243, which is the older and larger codex of Dynameron (Valiakos et al., 2015). RESULTS: The present study led us to the interpretation of 277 plants under different names, among which we recognized 57 medicinal plants listed by the European Medicines Agency, one of them with negative monograph (i.e. Chelidonium majus). In addition, there are identified taxa related to those quoted by EMA as herbal medicines. The plants appearing in the examined Elements belong to various families of which the most frequent are: Apiaceae 10.11%; Lamiaceae 7.22%; Asteraceae 6.86%; Rosaceae 6.5% and Fabaceae 6.14%. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 277 species have been catalogued, most of which are referred in our previous publication (Valiakos et al., 2015). Among them, 56 plants still play a very important role in medical practice, as they are used as traditional herbal medicines (www.ema.eu). This evidence is a proof that the use of medicinal plants remains valuable from the ancient times until today. The recipes, in contrast to older medical compendia, contain precise measurements of ingredients and dosages for every drug, which seem to reflect empirical logic.

Traditional Mediterranean and European herbal medicines.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Written history allows tracing back Mediterranean and European medical traditions to Greek antiquity. The epidemiological shift triggered by the rise of modern medicine and industrialization is reflected in contemporary reliance and preferences for certain herbal medicines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sketch the development and transmission of written herbal medicine through Mediterranean and European history and point out the opportunity to connect with modern traditions. RESULTS: An ethnopharmacological database linking past and modern medical traditions could serve as a tool for crosschecking contemporary ethnopharmacological field-data as well as a repository for data mining. Considering that the diachronic picture emerging from such a database has an epidemiological base this could lead to new hypotheses related to evolutionary medicine. CONCLUSION: The advent of systems pharmacology and network pharmacology opens new perspectives for studying past and current herbal medicine. Since a large part of modern drugs has its roots in ancient traditions one may expect new leads for drug development from novel systemic studies, as well as evidence for the activity of certain herbal preparations.

Pharmacology and psychiatry at the origins of Greek medicine: The myth of Melampus and the madness of the Proetides.

Melampus is a seer-healer of Greek myth attributed with having healed the young princesses of Argos of madness. Analysis of this legend and its sources sheds light on the early stages of the "medicalizing" shift in the history of ancient Greek medicine. Retrospective psychological diagnosis suggests that the descriptions of the youths' madness rose from actual observation of behavioral and mental disorders. Melampus is credited with having healed them by administering hellebore. Pharmacological analysis of botanical specimens proves that Helleborus niger features actual neurological properties effective in the treatment of mental disorders. The discussion aims at examining the rational aspects of the treatment of mental conditions in Greco-Roman antiquity.