Textual Research on Dioscorides and De Materia Medica

Abstract

The Greek pharmacologist Dioscorides’s De Materia Medica is one of the greatest works in the history of Greek-Arabic Traditional Medicine, and also is an essential medical textbook and pharmacological standard in Europe. This paper studied the historical background, academic characteristics, editions, and significant contributions to traditional medicine of De Materia Medica and Dioscorides. It was concluded that the book has substantial scientific importance and remarkable cultural attributes. De Materia Medica of Dioscorides has both nourished world traditional medicine and promoted the communication and development of medicinal knowledge worldwide. It is significant for us to explore further the related understanding of traditional medicine, history, society, and culture.