THE ROLE OF BOTANY IN RESEARCHES ON CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA

In the beginning of the history of sciences, botany and medicine were inseparable. Both the ancient Chinese materia medica and the medieval European herbals illustrated this fact. In Europe, the botanical classics of the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries were prepared by successful physicians. In the nineteenth century, the floristie and phytogeographie researches were conducted in America and in Asia by men who gave up their medical practices and became botanists. At present, approximately 89% of Chinese drugs are prepared from plant material. It makes botanical research an indispensible phase in the study of Chinese materia medica, because investigators working on the biological structures of the source material, on the chemical composition and/or on the practical application of the drugs are dependent on the botanists for proper identification and correct names in their communication of the results of their works. Several cases are cited to illustrate the vietal role of a professional botanist for solving problems in international trade and in researches on Chinese medicinal material.A competent botanist interested in Chinese medicinal plants is a good naturalist because he works both in the laboratories and in the field. He knows that many species with medicinal value are irrestrievably lost or on the verge of extinction because of ruthless digging and careless collection. Moreover,current population growth and technological developments encroach upon natural areas. He understands that NATURE does not have an unlimited supply of medicinal plant resources. Looking into the future, botanists have added responsibilities in alerting the public to the need of conservation of natural vegetation, protection of species containing compounds invaluable to the well-being of mankind, and the participation of programs for the cultivation of useful medicinal species.