Food as Medicine: Plant-Based Medicine and Empire

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms and concepts about food as medicine, plant-based medicine, and the history of medicinal plants.

medicine

The science or practice of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease; in this course, encompasses plant-based foods used for therapeutic effects.

medicinal plant

A plant used for its therapeutic properties to treat or prevent illness.

botany

The science of plants, including their classification, structure, properties, and uses in medicine.

remedy

A treatment or medicine used to relieve or cure a disease or ailment.

herbalism

The practice of using plants and herbs to prevent or treat illness and to prepare remedies.

pharmacopoeia

A book containing directions and standards for making medicines; an early reference like Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica.

quinine

A compound derived from the cinchona bark used to treat malaria; a key example of plant-derived medicine.

empire

Historical networks of political and economic power that facilitated the spread of medicinal plants, knowledge, and practices across regions.

willow bark

Bark of the willow tree containing salicin, historically used to treat headaches and fevers; precursor to aspirin.

salicin

A chemical constituent in willow bark; metabolized to salicylic acid, a basis for modern aspirin.

decoction

A method of extracting plant compounds by boiling plant material in water to produce a medicinal liquid.

apothecary

A medieval/early modern pharmacist or shopkeeper who prepares and sells medicines.

ethnobotany

The study of how people in different cultures use plants for medicinal, nutritional, and cultural purposes.

Theophrastus

Ancient Greek naturalist who described plant properties and began early plant classification (juices, resins, gums).

Dioscorides

Ancient Greek physician who described, and prescribed use for, about 600 plants; an early pharmacopoeia author.

Ben Caoqing

Ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia describing the usefulness of plants (including marijuana) for numerous ailments.

Ayurveda

Traditional Indian system of medicine that guides health through balanced living and plant-based therapies.

dosha

Three Ayurvedic humors—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—which govern physiology and health.

tattva

Five elemental principles in Ayurveda (earth, water, fire, air, ether) shaping understanding of matter and health.

Hippocrates

Ancient Greek physician often regarded as the father of medicine; linked diet and body humors to health.

Galen

Greco-Roman physician who elaborated humoral theory (blood, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm) and linked diet to temperament.

Ebers Papyrus

Ancient Egyptian medical papyrus; a primary source for early medical knowledge and remedies.