General and Systematic Veterinary Pharmacology

ANCIENT MEDICINE

• Chinese medicine is the earliest and records dated about 2500 B.C. available today give an idea about the medical knowledge of Chinese.
• In Chinese medicine, the use of Ephedra or Ma huang as a tonic has been reported.
• Ayurveda or Indian Medicine is equally ancient. To form the science of life namely Ayurveda, Charaka, Sushruta and Vagbhata made a compilation of old and new drugs in the cure of diseases. 
• Egyptian medicine is also very ancient. The Ebers Papyrus dated about 1500B.C. gives a collection of drugs prevalent in Egypt at that time, their classification and their use. Some of the drugs employed now such as, castor oil and pomegranate bark are mentioned in this papyrus.