Week 1: History and Philosopy

Question 1

What is the role of secondary plant metabolites

Answer 1

act as micronutrients and medicinal constituents for human and animals. this symbiotic relationship is the foundation of herbal medicine

Question 2

1. What is the classical Chinese herbal text.

2. When was it written?

Answer 2

Shennong Bencaojing, the classical chinese herbal text the divine farmers materia media, it is a compilation of traditional knowledge written in 220AD

Question 3

what is the aturvedic herbal text

Answer 3

Sushruta Samhita, detailed the use of over 700 plants dates back to the 6th century BC

Question 4

What was hippocrates role in herbal medicine

Answer 4

• he is considered the “father or Modern Medicine”.
• ” vis medicatrix naturae”
• he separated the art of medicine from superstition, although he also drew on ancient folk wisdom with regard to the use of herbs and other medicine

Question 5

Pedanius Diocorides

Answer 5

• physician and botanist
• • published a 5 vol, materia media, which documented 600 plants with medicinal uses ( used by physicians until the 1600)

Question 6

Claudius Galen

Answer 6

• greek physician, philosopher, scientist, and writer
• organized theories of health and dz, and contributed greatly to our understanding of plants energetic and actions as well as therapeutic approach

Question 7

Ibn-sina (avicenna)

Answer 7

• 980-1037
• persian physician influences by galen
• wrote “Al-Qanun fi’t-Tibb” i.e The cannon of Medicine” - detailed the use of herbs and other natural substances, used as primary medical text in Europe and the islamic world until the 18th century
• criticized and called an atheist by other islamic scholars for his philosophy of medicine

Question 8

Hildegard von bengen

Answer 8

• 1098-1179
  *german abbess later given sainthood
• musician, artist, visionary, herbalist, and writer
  she coined the term “ VIRDITAS, the green flame or greening force. the antonym to viriditas was ariditas, the desiccating, devitalizing force

” there is power that has been since all eternity and that force and potentiality is green

Question 9

Paracelsus

Answer 9

• son of german chemist and physician and a swiss mother
• he was very well-traveled and considered a phenol of alchemical knowledge
• he had an adversarial relationship with the medical establishment of his time, and he publicly burned works of galen and Avicenna
• the father of toxicology
• paracelsus elixer is a bitter tonic based on Allow, saffron, and Myrrh. swedish bitters is a variation of the formula

Question 10

Nicholas culpeper

Answer 10

• english botanist, herbalist, physician, astrologer
• author of the complete herbal
• his philosophy was to make medicine accessible to the lay person, chiefly by using the medicines available in nature

Question 11

Physiomedicalism

Answer 11

• folk doc using indigenous plants and learning for native americans

Question 12

Samuel thompson

Answer 12

famous folk doc

• postulated dz was brought on by cold or loss of mov’t
• used herbs, stems, and cold friction to stimulate and purge the system and restore vitality

Question 13

Alva Curtis

Answer 13

Thompsonian practitioner who advocated med training. renamed thompsonian medicine physiomedicalism
* major tenant was to eliminate through major organs: skin, LV, KD, LU, LI

Question 14

Eclectic physicians

Answer 14

1. Wooster beach- created eclectic movement
2. john Milton Scudder- brought organization to the deeper philosophical roots to the Eclectic mov’t
3. John King- eclectic physician
4. John Loyd- eclectic pharmacists
5. Finley Ellingwood- atoned the american materia medica
6. Harvey Wickes Felter- autor eclectic materia medica

Question 15

Naturopathic herbalist

Answer 15

physician educated in biomedical sciences

• gather knowledge from plants
• understands phytochemists in context of whole plant medicine