Prehistory

ca. 60,000-5000 years

ago

Archeological excavations dated as early as 60,000 years ago have

contained remains of medicinal plants, such as opium poppies,
ephedra, and cannabis.

ca. 1500 B.C. 0 A.D.

1500 B.C. - The Ebers Papyrus in Egypt. The oldest surviving

written record of medicinal plant usage.
700 B. C. - The Charaki Samhita in India documented the uses of
over 300 medicinal plants.

ca. 100 A.D.- 1400s

A.D.

400 B. C. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine,

postulated that illness was a natural, not a supernatural,
phenomenon.
.
ca. 100 A.D.- China the Divine Husbandmans Classic defined
the uses of over 250 medicinal herbs.
ca. 100 A.D.- Europe Dioscorides publishes De Materia Medica,
the first modern herbal; Pliny the Elder publishes Natural
History.
ca. 200 A.D.- Galen, physician to the Roman Emporer Marcus
Aurelius, and concepts of the four humors and vital spirit
influenced European herbalism well into the 17th Century.
700s A.D. - The Golden Age of Ayurveda in India.
ca. 300 A.D. to 1000 A.D. Classical and foreign influences
decline in European herbalism; monastic physic gardens kept the
herbal traditions alive.
1400s Increased trade gradually leads to introduction of exotic
herbs into Europe from India, China, and the New World.

A.D. 1500s 1800

ca. 1500 Paracelsus, the first scientific herbalist, rejected

Galens theories in favor of the concepts of dosage, toxicity, and
active principles.
1500s The invention of printing accelerated the codification and
dissemination of herbal folk wisdom (cf. John Gerards Herball
published 1597; Culpepers The English Physitian published
1652).
1500s - William Harveys studies of the circulatory system
introduced the concept of body as machine.

A.D. 1800s

1500s - The theories of Ren Descartes promoted the split between

mind, body, and spirit and rationalism and scientific dualism grew.
1803 German pharmacist Friedrich Srtuner isolates the first pure
alkaloid, morphine, from opium poppies, ushering in the field of
natural products chemistry and the modern concept of
pharmacotherapy.
Many alkaloids were isolated in pure form over the next 100 years:
quinine, strychnine, brucine, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine,
theobromine, mescaline, etc.
The biomedical paradigm based on the germ theory of disease
and the concept of isolated drugs as magic bullets gained
ascendancy over traditional herbalism.
The fusion of Native American and European herbalism fostered
the appearance of more scientific systems of herbalism.
Late 1800s Medicine hunters like Henry Hurd Rusby began to
explore the medicinal treasure troves of tropical rainforests,
working for commercial pharmaceutical houses such as Parke,
Davis and Co.

A.D. 1900 1990s

Early 1900s Mainstream medicine tried to distances itself

from traditional herbalism; the federal government discontinued
funding for naturopathic medical schools; the American Medical
Association even attempted to outlaw the practice of herbalism.
1930s Over 90% of prescription drugs in pharmacies were still
derived from plants (today, over 25% are plant derivatives).
1930s present . The search for new therapeutic compounds in
nature continues. New medicines, such as taxol, vincristine,
etoposide, and oral contraceptives have resulted from this search.
Even now, less than 10% of plant species have been screened for
new drugs.

1990s

2000s

1994 A resurgence in the popularity of botanical medicines

followed on the passage of DSHEA, the Dietary Supplement
Health and Education Act in response to overwhelming public
demand.
DSHEA allowed botanical medicines to be sold as dietary
supplements as long as the manufacturers didnt make any health
claims. Between 1990 and 1997, the use of botanical medicines
increased by 380%.
Today, botanical supplements are a $12 billion dollar industry in
the U.S. alone.
There is increasing scientific evidence for the safety and efficacy
of many botanical medicines especially for chronic diseases and
health maintenance.
Courses in science-based herbalism and pharmacognosy have been
revived in schools of pharmacy and medicine. Schools of
naturopathic and holistic medicine, such as Bastyr University in
Seattle, are becoming more popular.
Of course, 75 85 % of the worlds population continues to rely for
primary healthcare on botanical medicines dispensed by traditional
healers, as they have always done.