Pedanius Dioscorides | |
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Born | c. 40 AD[1] |
Died | c. 90 AD |
Other names | Dioscurides |
Occupation(s) | Army physician, pharmacologist, botanist |
Known for | De Materia Medica |
Pedanius Dioscorides (Greek: Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης /Pedánios Dioskourídēs/) c. 40–90 AD, known as "the father of pharmacognosy", was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and the author of De materia medica (Greek: Περὶ ὕλης ἰατρικῆς /Peri hylēs iatrikēs/), a five-volume Greek encyclopedic pharmacopeia about herbal medicine and related medicinal substances, that was widely read for more than 1,500 years. For almost two millennia Dioscorides was regarded as the most prominent writer on plants and plant drugs.[2][3]