Materia Medica

Materia Medica is a Latin term that refers to the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing (i.e., medicines). The term derives from the title of a work by the ancient Greek physician Dioscorides in the 1st century AD, De Materia Medica, 'On medical material'.

History

The concept of Materia Medica was first established by Dioscorides, a Greek physician, pharmacologist, and botanist who practiced in Rome during the times of Nero. His five-volume book, De Materia Medica, was used for centuries and laid the groundwork for many modern medicines.

In the Middle Ages, the term Materia Medica was used by Galen and Avicenna in their famous medical works. The Pharmacopoeia, a book containing directions for the identification of compound medicines, and the London Dispensatory presented in 1618 by the College of Physicians, were the first systematic classification of drugs and the beginnings of the modern conception of Materia Medica.

Modern Materia Medica

In the modern world, Materia Medica is often used in the context of homeopathy, where the term refers to an index of symptoms and their corresponding remedies. Each remedy is tested on healthy individuals and the symptoms they produce are meticulously recorded to form a comprehensive list of remedies and their associated symptoms.

In pharmacy, Materia Medica is the study of medicinal substances. It includes study of physical and chemical properties, pharmacokinetics (how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted by the body), pharmacodynamics (how drugs take effect in the body), and therapeutic use of drugs.

See also

• Pharmacology
• Pharmacognosy
• Pharmacy
• Homeopathy
• Dioscorides
• Galen
• Avicenna