herbal

Herbal from Trento, Italy, from the 14th century, showing the Chavalaritas Roma plant, which was used for sutures and to stop haemorrhages. Herbals were ancient manuals to aid in the identification of plants for medicinal purposes; many manuscript herbals were published in medieval Europe, drawing largely on the herbals compiled by the ancient Greeks.

A book describing the medicinal properties of plants, often including illustrations. The earliest herbals are described by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century BC. In the Renaissance, the earliest printed herbal dates from 1477. A whole series followed in the 16th century; including Otto Brunfels' Herbarum Vivae Eicones (1530-36), Jerome Bock (1539), and Leonhart Fuchs (1542).