History is awash of such scientists who have spent their whole lives discovering prodigious innovations in every field. However, very few know the name of Ibn-al-Baytar, the greatest Muslim botanist who wrote the pharmacy encyclopedia in the twelfth century.
Diya-ud-Din Abu Muḥammad’Abdullah ibn Aḥmad al-Malaqi was one of the most influential Muslim physician, pharmacist, botanist, and scientist of the Middle Ages. “Ibn al-Baytar” البيطار ابن was his commonly known name, which is the Arabic for the Son of a Veterinarian. Born in the small town of AlMalaga-Andalusia in 1197 CE, Ibn-al-Baytar was to be the most eminent pharmacist of the 12th century.
Initially, he learned botany from Abu-al-Abbas Al Nabati, a botanist who initiated experimental techniques in the identification and verification of numerous homoeopathic drugs. Following his mentor’s approach, he started collecting plants from Andalusia. For this purpose, he travelled throughout the Muslim world, collecting numerous plants on the way. In 1224, he became the chief herbal doctor for Al-Kamil, the then sultan of Egypt, whose conquest of Syria made it possible for Ibn al-Baytar to collect plant specimens there as well.
His ongoing efforts resulted in the accomplishment of his largest and most widely read book Kitab al-Jami fi al-Adwiya al- Mufrada (Compendium on Simple Medicaments and Foods.)The book was the greatest botanical compilation, wherein he listed 1400 samples of medicinal plants and vegetables. Further, he recorded the discoveries made by early Islamic physicians, which helped him add around 400 types of medicine to the previously known antiquity.
His second prodigious disquisition Kitab al-Mlughni fi al-Adwiya al-Mufrada (Comprehension of Drugs and Nutrition) was considered an encyclopedia of pharmacy. In this book, he had described drugs in accordance with their therapeutic value. The first five chapters had been written on the significance and diagnosis of illnesses; in chapter six, the list of medications had been explained; and in chapters eight to seventeen, the remedies of all diagnosed diseases had been penned. Additionally, he had also explained surgical issues and their prevention with references from various Arabic and Greek books. Since no one could excel Al-Baytar in bulk and quality, his compilations remained in wide use till the seventeenth century.
Hence, Ibn al-Baytar is known for revamping pharmacy to the modern age and for the introduction of hundreds of new medicines to pharmaceutical science. He proved from his research that how much herbs are beneficial in the medical field.
