History of herbal medicine in Algeria

Abstract

Pedanius Dioscorides who lived more than twenty-one centuries ago is considered the ancestor of herbal medicine. His works arrived in Latinized form very early in Algeria, from the first century with Juba II who was raised at the court of Rome. Apuleius of Madaure, an Algerian physician born in Mdaourouch, who lived in the second century and studied in Greece had direct access to the works of Dioscorides in the second century. He dealt extensively with medicinal plants in his works. This tradition has remained alive in Algeria and has taken on particular importance with the Arab-Muslim civilization. Botanists of high value visited the country and were interested in plants with therapeutic virtues in various regions including Tlemcen and Béjaia. Among these illustrious researchers, we can mention Eccharif El Idrissi (1099-1165), Ibn Abi el-Khalil Mofrig el-Oumawi (1165-1239) or Ibn El Baïtar (1190-1248) considered as the great master of phytotherapy. Local researchers have followed in their footsteps, such as Ibn El-Bouthouh El-Kâali El-Maghribi, born in the nineties of the 5th century of the Hegira at the Kalâa of the Bani Hammed, Ibn Youcef Et Tifachi (1184- 1253), Ben Andaras El-Oumaoui originally from Murcia and who taught medicine in Béjaia from 610 H or even Et Thaghri Et Tilimçani.
If Algeria subsequently recorded many authors in the field, one of them truly dominates the history of phytotherapy, it is Abderrezek ibn Hamadouche who was born in Algiers at the end of the 17th century and lived for a long time practically throughout the 18th century. We owe him many writings on medicine and pharmacy, the masterpiece of which is Kechf Erroumouz Fi Charhi El Akakir oua El-Archab (Revelation of the enigmas in the exhibition of drugs and plants).
During the colonial period, the French authorities made great efforts to know the national biotope. From the beginning of colonization, plants were grown industrially for export. A school of medicine and pharmacy was set up in Algiers in 1857, it mainly trained European pharmacists, as did the University of Algiers, created in 1909. Ethnobotanical studies carried out in recent years have shown that the Algerian populations remain attached to phytotherapy. More than half of the population uses medical plants on a regular basis. The Covid-19 pandemic has further reinforced this recourse in the absence of conventional
preventive or treatment drugs.