Theory and Praxis

<h3>Abstract</h3> When it comes to the pharmacology of Galen of Pergamon (129–ca. 216/17 CE), we first think of his extensive treatise <i>On the Capacities of Simple Drugs</i> and his collections of recipes in <i>On the Composition of Drugs</i> or <i>On Antidotes</i>. In these treatises, however, the physician takes a back seat to the communication of factual knowledge or theoretical digressions. In his main therapeutic work, <i>Method of Medicine</i>, a different, personal side of pharmacotherapy is revealed, which is examined in this article: which medicinal plants does Galen personally prefer, which ones does he know from his own experience in nature? In order to gain an overview, a statistical analysis is first carried out, which compares the frequencies of medicinal plants named in the entire corpus with those of his <i>Method</i>. Subsequently, some key passages of the work are analyzed, which give a good impression of Galen’s abilities as a precise observer of nature and patient-oriented therapist. Also, by means of cross-references interspersed in these works, Galen succeeds in bringing theoretical and practical aspects of pharmacology into a balanced relationship.