Herbal prescriptions for the treatment of kidney diseases in the byzantine era

Abstract

This article focuses on nephrology diseases and illnesses as well as on their treatment with herbal formulations, as used in the Byzantine era and recorded in medical texts. The medical texts investigated concern the Byzantine period from the 4th to the 15th century. Various texts written in this period contributed to the evolution of medical science in both the West and East. These texts are divided in two categories: those focusing on the observation of urine (Uroscopy) with a diagnosis of kidney diseases, and those on the treatment of kidneys diseases. Our primary source material was the medical collections of Oribasius, Aetius of Amida, Alexander of Tralles, Paul of Aegina, Symeon Seth, Nikolaos Myrepsos and Ioannis Actuarios, who report nephrological diseases and herbs to manage them. In these texts, we searched for those medical prescriptions related to kidney disease and we notice the plants containing them. These studies confirmed the ongoing research and methodological approach to urine testing. Combination of herbs is also recommended for the treatment of dysuria, strangury, lithiasis and nephropathy. This research leads us to the conclusion that the content of these texts provides a detailed view of the properties of the herbs that were able to effectively manage kidney diseases and also of the level of knowledge that existed during the Byzantine era. © Athens Medical Society.