**2. Ethnobotany in history**

Human being has been consuming floras meanwhile beforehand documented history. Our most primitive ancestors collected floras for foodstuff, medication, fibers, and construction supplies, momentary on their knowledge through oral customs. Farming, the exercise of generating yields and rising livestock, came about autonomously in diverse areas of the universe 10,000–15,000 years ago. Plant knowledge was an unlimited benefit in ancient societies, as it conversed a bigger opportunities of survival. Many ancient researchers took an extreme concern in botany, publishing herbals that enclosed plant information, and in addition also contained botanical importance. By using this baseline, an individual can identify and collect medicinal plants from the traditional healers own garden or from the forest and also can easily understand the method of preparations and applications. The term ethnobotany did not coin out as a discipline during the ancient civilization until earlier modern period. Despite the fact that individuals historically had a nearby relationship with the plants and various intellectuals investigated botany, rare scholars investigated the plant knowledge of an ethnic group till the twentieth century. The following are the rare leading ethnobotanical researchers and texts that aided disperse botanical knowledge all the way through the ages [8].

**The ancient Egyptians** (3000 B.C.) were specialists in using remedies for curative and preventive purposes. The curing of the sick was carried out by priest doctor and pharmacist "Son" who prescribed and prepared remedies. The crude drugs used for the plant derivation included Aloes, Gum, Myrrh, Poppy, Pomegranate,

Colocynth, Linseed, Squill, Coriander, Onion, Anise, Melon, Castor, etc. The *Ebers Papyrus* found in Egypt in the 1870s contains prescriptions written in hieroglyphics for over 700 preparations. This prescription for an asthma remedy is prepared by the combination of herbs heated on a brick so that the victim possibly will inhale their smokes. The **Babylonian medicine** was known as **Laws of Hamorabi** (772 B.C.). The medicines used were mostly of vegetable origin. The medications used include 250 constituents of plant and 180 constituents of animal origin. Several of these remedies were known to the ancient Egyptians. In the **Old Indian medicine,** the "Riveda" and Ayurveda (Acoko 2000 B.C.) contained the holy medicinal plants. The gathering of plant constituents was undertaken only by a guiltless, pure, and religious individual. The fresh plants were considered to be most effective. The most famous Indian remedies were sandalwood, clove, pepper, cardamom, caraway, ginger, benzoin, cannabis, castor oil, sesame oil, aloes, etc. Besides the well-known **acupuncture**, the Chinese medicine is very recognized for the herbal remedy. The **Pen Ts'ao Kang Moa** (1000 B.C.) contained an unbelievable amount of herbal medicines and preparations of animal source. Their book comprises many recipes for every ailment. Among the plants and minerals highly respected for its magic well-being power were ginseng, rhubarb, ephedra, star anise, pomegranate, and aconite. Opium is a very old Chinese drug for diarrhea and dysentery. **Pythagoras** (560 B.C.) used drugs such as mustard and squill. **Hippocrates** (466 B.C.) was familiar with abundant medicines and wrote "**Corpus Hipocraticum** 460 B.C." The Greek Empire was followed by that of the Romans **Dioscorides** who was a Greek by birth and was the first to define medicines, and his work "**Greek Herbal of Dioscorides**" included 5000 medicinal plants in addition to animal and mineral medicines. **Pliny,** who lived about the same time as **Dioscorides**, was also a renowned author of natural history. **Galen** (134–200 A.C.) was a physician and he is ascribed the use of "**Galenical preparations.**" Islamic literatures were found **the first beginnings of chemistry**, the name of which is derived from an Arabic word "Kemia," as were also such familiar words such as alcohol and alkali. The Arabs added several new plants and medicines to those previously recognized to the Greeks and Romans. In their days, pharmacy attained its maximum reputation and developed an independent branch of medicine. It is thought-provoking to note that the first dispensary was opened in Baghdad, the center of trade in those days. The dispensary was made of **sandalwood** and named **"Sandalia." Rhazey** (850–932 A.C.) who was born at Rai in Persia was the director of Baghdad hospital. He published a famous book **"Alhawi Kabeer"** [8].
