Epilepsy in the Renaissance: a survey of remedies from 16th and 17th century German herbals.
BACKGROUND
Before modern anticonvulsive drugs were developed people in central Europe used herbal remedies to treat epilepsy. Hundreds of different plants for this indication can be found in German herbals of the 16th and 17th centuries. Here we compile these plants and discuss their use from a pharmacological perspective.


METHODS
Nine of the most important European herbals of the 16th and 17th century including Bock (1577), Fuchs (1543), Mattioli (1590), Lonicerus (1660, 1770), Brunfels (1532), Zwinger (1696), and Tabernaemontanus (1591, 1678) were searched for terms related to epilepsy, and plants and recipes described for its treatment were documented. We then searched scientific literature for pharmacological evidence of their effectiveness. Additionally the overlapping of these remedies with those in De Materia Medica by the Greek physician Dioscorides was studied.


RESULTS
Two hundred twenty one plants were identified in the herbals to be used in the context of epilepsy. In vitro and/or in vivo pharmacological data somehow related to the indication epilepsy was found for less than 5% of these plants. Less than 7% of epilepsy remedies are in common with De Materia Medica.


CONCLUSIONS
Numerous plants were used to treat epilepsy in the 16th and 17th centuries. However, few of these plants have been investigated with respect to pharmacological activity on epilepsy related targets.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland. michael.adams@unibas.ch
Michael
M
Adams
Sarah-Vanessa
SV
Schneider
Martin
M
Kluge
Michael
M
Kessler
Matthias
M
Hamburger
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000266:history / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000266:history; D005858:Germany; D006115:Greece; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008419:Materia Medica / Q000266:history; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000266:history; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000266:history; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000266:history / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D008419:Materia Medica; D028321:Plant Preparations