Evolution of drugs VIS-A-VIS socio legal aspect: A historical perspective

Abstract

It is incredibly difficult to determine who developed the first medication. Perhaps stories have obscured the genesis and early history of medicine and drugs. The use of therapeutic herbs predates both human civilisation and ancient culture. Plants have played a key role in maintaining human health and well-being. The fact that the term Drug is derived from the French word drogue, which meaning dry herb, clearly implies that the first medicines were extracted from plants. Priority was given to plants over animal products and minerals in the treatment of illnesses by the earliest humans, who resorted to a variety of non-conventional techniques including plants, animal products, and minerals. Despite variances in their treatment concepts, the traditional medical systems of the world, such as Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Greek Medicine, all agree that sickness is caused by an imbalance among the body's elements and that the goal of therapy is to restore the balance using herbs. Thus, plants were crucial in the evolution of pharmacology and pharmacy. The magnificent architect of modern-day sophisticated Pharmacology was not constructed overnight, but its basis was established on an ancient foundation.