Ninth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Dosage is pivotal to the prescription of herbal medication, a key aspect to their effectiveness, and in determining safety guidelines for their use. Herbal medications a were widely used in the mid 19th and early 20th centuries, and constitute a significant–yet forgotten– stage of the pharmaceutical development that lies within this period. This research is aimed at the retrieval of dosage of herbal medications, their guidelines as they were prescribed at the given period according to pharmaceutical repertories, formularies, university textbooks, and manuals of therapeutic pharmacology. This is followed by the historical contextualization of variations and adjustments made throughout the period analyzed, shedding light to posology and their use in children and adults. This research involved: historical and bibliographical investigation of collections found in Brazil, reconstitution of the mid 19th and early 20th century libraries of Brazilian pharmacists, and the use of scientific publications, guidebooks, manuals and repertories of pharmaceutical and therapeutic societies from France, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States.