Materia Medica (Latin, "healing materials") is a body of collected knowledge about the properties of a plant.
The "Materia Medica of Li-Shih-Ghen", China, was the first major medical work to be translated into Western language. It was first published in 1596 and contains 12,000 prescriptions and formulas and analyzes 1,074 plant substances, 443 animal substances, and 354 miner substances. The book is still studied by traditional Chinese physicians.
Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40 – 90 AD) was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and is known as the Father of Pharmacology. As a military physician and surgeon in Nero's army, he marched with the armies to Greece, Germany, Italy and Spain, in order to study herbs. He recorded everything that he discovered including descriptions of the plants' habitat, how it should be prepared and stored, and the full accounts of its healing properties. His findings were published in 'De Materia Medica', also known as 'Herbarius'. a comprehensive 5 volume work and contained 1000 different botanical medications, plus descriptions and illustrations of approximately 600 different plants and aromatics. It was one of the most influential botanical books in history and throughout Europe for 1,500 years.
Here is how to create your own Material Medica.
You will need:
A notebook or binder or index cards
Paper
Pen or pencil, colored pencils
The information included in your Materia Medica is:
Common Name of the plant
Botanical Scientific Name
Genus / Family
Botanical Description
Native Region, including ideal growing conditions
Geographic Distribution
Parts Used
Harvesting Guidelines
Action, how the plant affects the body, mind, and spirit
Uses and the preparations, the manners and methods in which the plant is prepared and used
Safety
Folklore
Notes and References
Drawings of the Plant
Comments