Medicinal plants used during the plague described in the Herbarium of Simon Syrenius (1613)

Before the effective methods of treatment and prevention of plague infections and all other infectious diseases were known, attempts were made to treat them with natural means. The effective in the treatment of blight, among others were considered the following plants: angelica (Angelica archangelica), valerian (Valeriana officinalis), pimpinella, (Pimpinella sp.) common tormentil plant (Potentilla erecta), and also onion and garlic. Knowledge about medicinal plants was gathered in herbaria. The largest Polish Renaissance herbarium was the Zielnik by Szymon Syreniusz, published in Krakow in 1613. This work describes over 800 plants, only some of them were used against the plague.

The aim of the work is to investigate which medicinal plants were indicated by Syreniusz as effective means in combating the pestilential air, what properties were assigned to them and how they were be used.

Before the effective methods of treatment and prevention of plague infections and all other infectious diseases were known, attempts were made to treat them with natural means. The effective in the treatment of blight, among others were considered the following plants: angelica (Angelica archangelica), valerian (Valeriana officinalis), pimpinella, (Pimpinella sp.) common tormentil plant (Potentilla erecta), and also onion and garlic. Knowledge about medicinal plants was gathered in herbaria. The largest Polish Renaissance herbarium was the Zielnik by Szymon Syreniusz, published in Krakow in 1613. This work describes over 800 plants, only some of them were used against the plague.

The aim of the work is to investigate which medicinal plants were indicated by Syreniusz as effective means in combating the pestilential air, what properties were assigned to them and how they were be used.