As plantas medicinais brasileiras na literatura médica portuguesa: análise do Código Pharmaceutico Lusitano e possíveis desdobramentos

Abstract

Medicinal plants are species used for therapeutic purposes. And the use of such plants goes back to ancient periods of mankind. However, scientific knowledge about medicinal plants arose more intensely from the 18th century, especially in Europe. Considering the historical period in question, Brazil, which was still a colony of the Kingdom of Portugal, was also the target of studies, due to the immense biological wealth that was very interesting to the Portuguese Crown. Uniting these economic interests to the "best" way of governing, several laws arise, which try to match the Brazilian medical and pharmaceutical training and performance to the Portuguese standard. These laws also include the exchange of medical literature and the beginning of production of important works on Brazilian soil, stimulating studies and obtaining knowledge about one of the greatest riches in question: medicinal plants of Brazilian origin. It is in this context that the Lusitano Pharmaceutical Code, authored by Agostinho Albano da Silveira, was created and which contained a section dedicated to Brazilian plants. Based on the analysis and interpretation of this and other pharmacopoeias and medical texts of the mentioned period, the present dissertation tries to answer why Silveira did not include in the work information that was already available in that period on Brazilian medicinal plants. In addition, we sought to verify the forms of dissemination and use of these, as well as the scientific and legal developments in the areas of medical and pharmaceutical education in Brazil and Portugal