There is a large amount of archaeological evidence that suggests that humans used Medicinal Plants during the Paleothic, approximately 60,000 years ago. (in addition, non-human primates are also known to take medicinal plants to treat disease.

Ancient times:

✔️PAPYRUS EBERS (about 1550 BC) from Ancient has a prescription for hemp (marijuana) applied topically for inflammation.

✔️Essential oil from thyme (Thymus vulgaris), contains 20-54 percent thymol. Thymol is a powerful antiseptic and antifungal that is used in a variety of products. Before the advent of modern antibiotics, thyme oil was used to treat bandages.

✔️The use of plants as medicine predates written human history. Many of the herbs and spices that people use to season their meals also provide useful medicinal compounds. The use of herbs and spices in the kitchen evolved in part as a response to the threat of foodborne pathogens. Studies show that in tropical climates, where pathogens are most abundant, recipes are the most spicy. Furthermore, spices with the strongest antimicrobial activity are usually chosen. In all cultures, vegetables are seasoned less than meat, probably because they are the most resistant to spoilage.

✔️In written records, the study of herbs dates back more than 5,000 years to the Sumerians, who created clay tablets listing hundreds of medicinal plants such as myrrh and opium. In 1500 BC, the ancient Egyptians wrote the Ebers Papyrus, which contains information on more than 850 medicinal plants, including garlic, juniper, hemp, primrose, aloe and mandrake.

Ayurvedic Medicine:

In India, Ayurvedic medicine used many herbs, such as turmeric, possibly as early as 1900 BC. Sanskrit writings from around 1500 BC, such as the RIG VEDA, are some of the earliest available documents detailing the medical knowledge that formed the basis of Ayurvedic system. Many other herbs and minerals used in Ayurveda were later described by ancient Indian herbalists such as Charaka and Sushruta during the 1st millennium BC. The Sushruta Samhita attributed to Sushruta in the 6th century BC describes 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources.

Chinese Emperor Shen Nung (ogf Han Dynasty) is said to have written the first Chinese herb Peh Tsao. Pen Tsao lists 365 medicinal plants and their uses - including Ephedra (the shrub that introduced the drug Ephedrine into modern medicine).

Medieval:

Benedictine monasteries were the primary source of medical knowledge in Europe and England during the early Middle Ages. However, most of the efforts of monastic scholars focused on translating and copying ancient Greco-Roman and Arabic works rather than creating substantial new information and procedures.

Many Greek and Roman writings on medicine, as well as on other subjects, were preserved by hand-copying manuscripts in monasteries. Monasteries thus became more like local centers of medical knowledge, and their herb gardens provided raw materials for simple treatment of common disorders. At the same time, folk healing in the home and in the village continued continuously and supported numerous itinerant and settled herbalists. Among them were "wise women" who prescribed herbal remedies, often along with spells and charms.

Baghdad was an important center of Arab herbalism, as was Al-Anadulus between 800 and 1400 Abulcasis (936--- 1013) of Corboda, author of simple, an important source for later European herbals.

Malaga wrote the Corpus of simples, the most complete Arab herbarium, which introduced 200 new medicinal herbs, including tamarind, Aconitium and Nux-vomica.

Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine (1025) lists 800 tested drugs, plants and minerals.

Early Modern Age:

The fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries were the great age of herbals, many of which were available for the first time in English and other languages ​​rather than Latin or Greek.

 Today medicinal plants are used to prepare topical, oral and other Preparations are the result of researches of herbalists in the past. And research is still being done to understand the healing effects of the active ingredients of medicinal plants.