Throughout human history, civilizations across the world developed remarkable knowledge of plants, using them for medicine, food, rituals, and agriculture. Long before modern botany emerged, several groundbreaking ancient texts documented this wisdom in systematic ways. These works remain among the most cited sources in the history of plant science, pharmacology, and ethnobotany, influencing scholars for centuries or even millennia.

Here are seven of the most important and frequently referenced ancient documents that advanced our understanding of plants:

1. De Materia Medica – Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 50–70 CE)

Often regarded as the most influential herbal in history, this Greek physician’s five-volume work describes around 600 plants, along with their medicinal properties, preparation methods, and therapeutic uses. For over 1,500 years, it served as the primary reference for pharmacists and doctors across Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic world. Beautifully illustrated manuscripts, such as the famous 6th-century Vienna Dioscorides, helped preserve and spread its knowledge.

2. Historia Plantarum (Enquiry into Plants) – Theophrastus (c. 371–287 BCE)

Widely known as the “father of botany,” the Greek philosopher Theophrastus wrote the first true scientific treatise on plants. In this foundational work, he classified approximately 550 plant species based on their structure, growth habits, reproduction, and ecological preferences. Unlike earlier records that focused solely on practical uses, Theophrastus studied plants for their own sake—a revolutionary shift that laid the groundwork for botanical science.

3. Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE)

Discovered in Egypt in the 19th century, this ancient medical scroll is one of the oldest preserved health texts in the world. It contains over 800 prescriptions and remedies, many of which rely on plants such as garlic, aloe, castor beans, coriander, and juniper. While deeply practical and often combined with magical incantations, it reflects centuries of accumulated Egyptian herbal knowledge.

4. Shennong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica) – Attributed to Shennong (c. 200 BCE–200 CE)

Considered the earliest comprehensive Chinese pharmacopeia, this classic text catalogs 365 medicinal substances—mostly plants—divided into three categories based on their strength and toxicity. Traditionally attributed to the legendary emperor Shennong (the “Divine Farmer” who tasted hundreds of herbs), it forms the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine and continues to influence herbal practice today.

5. Naturalis Historia (Natural History) – Pliny the Elder (77–79 CE)

This massive Roman encyclopedia dedicates entire volumes (Books 12–27) to plants, trees, and their uses. Drawing heavily from Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and other sources, Pliny compiled an extraordinary amount of botanical and medicinal information. Though sometimes uncritical, its breadth helped preserve ancient plant lore through the Middle Ages.

6. Charaka Samhita (c. 400 BCE–200 CE)

One of the foundational texts of Ayurveda, this ancient Indian medical treatise describes hundreds of medicinal plants and their roles in restoring balance to the body’s three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha). Compiled over centuries and attributed to the sage Charaka, it remains a core reference in traditional Indian healing systems.

7. Sushruta Samhita (c. 600 BCE–200 CE)

Another pillar of Ayurvedic medicine, this text—focused more on surgery—still includes detailed descriptions of around 700 medicinal plants. Attributed to the surgeon Sushruta, it complements the Charaka Samhita and demonstrates the depth of botanical knowledge in ancient India.These extraordinary works reveal parallel developments in plant knowledge across Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, and China. While Western scholarship often highlights Dioscorides and Theophrastus, the contributions from Asian and Egyptian traditions are equally profound. Together, they represent humanity’s earliest efforts to systematically understand and harness the power of the plant kingdom.

“Article written with assistance from Grok (xAI)”