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The Materia Medica

A Materia Medica is a compendium of medicinal herbs used for their theraputic effects, and traditionally describes each herb's pharmacological properties and medicinal actions. The first such collection of knowledge on healing plants appeared in India around 700 BCE, compiled by the scholar Charaka, and a similar manual was assembled in China around 1000 CE. The term Materia Medica is Latin and has been around since Roman times when Dioscorides wrote a five-volume in Greek, De Materia Medica, which was subsequently translated into Latin around 60 CE. Dioscorides' book was a commentary on around 500 medicinal plants.