Nutraceuticals in the work of Scribonius Largus, a Pioneer of Clinical Pharmacy in ancient Rome

Christos Tsagkaris; Lolita Matiashova; Andreas S Papazoglou; Dimitrios V Moysidis; Anna Loudovikou; Athanasios Alexiou; Stavros Papadakos

doi:10.35652/IGJPS.2022.12021

Authors

Christos Tsagkaris European Student Think Tank, Public Health and Policy Working Group, 1058, Amsterdam, The Netherlands https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4250-574X
Lolita Matiashova L.T. Mala NIT National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8110-0761
Andreas S. Papazoglou European Student Think Tank, Public Health and Policy Working Group, 1058, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Athens Naval Hospital, Athens, Greece https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4981-8121
Dimitrios V. Moysidis European Student Think Tank, Public Health and Policy Working Group, 1058, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 4. Hippokration University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9083-0267
Anna Loudovikou European Student Think Tank, Public Health and Policy Working Group, 1058, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Faculty of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5339-1688
Athanasios Alexiou Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Hebersham, 2770 NSW, Australia; AFNP Med Austria, 1010 Wien, Austria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2206-7236
Stavros Papadakos 1st Department of Pathology, Laiko University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1583-1125

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35652/IGJPS.2022.12021

Keywords:

Nutraceuticals, Pharmacology, Natural products, Medical Humanities

Abstract

The therapeutic potential of nutraceuticals has been recognized by several ancient civilizations. The majority of physicians would use them in their practice and transmit their experience to their disciples. Nonetheless, few physicians have contributed to the dissemination of this knowledge further and its integration into the standard of care of their era. Scribonius Largus, a renowned physician and pharmacist in ancient Rome has summarized the existing knowledge on nutraceuticals in his pharmacognosy and therapeutics textbook “Compositiones”. As a physician to the imperial court, he used his position and resources to advance the relevant knowledge, educate erudite and lay physicians across the Roman Empire, and establish ethical practices in the field. Revisiting his contributions provides valuable lessons for contemporary researchers and practitioners. © 2022 iGlobal Research and Publishing Foundation. All rights reserved.