Лечење биљем у средњовековној Србији. Основни преглед
Herbal Healing In Mediaeval Serbia: A General Survey

Summary/Abstract: Herbal healing was a form of mediaeval medicine which was so widespread that the word „bilje“ (herbs) became a synonym for medicine (remedy) in general. In this essay the theoretical and practical importance of the main Serbian mediaeval medical books and texts, such as the treatises on simple and compound remedies of the Chilandar Medical Codex (those treatises are translations of Matthaeus Platearius’ Circa instans and Antidotarium Nicolai) and prescriptions of the different texts of lekaruša and iatrosophia have been considered. The essay points to the mistaken attribution of a text which is in fact a translation of Byzantine writer Philip Monotropos’ Dioptra rather than a special Serbian compilation of medical texts (Relja Katić’s Jestestvoslovije). In addition, it is important to bear in mind that the names of certain herbs in the Serbian vernacular language changed over time. In this regard, some mistakes in the identification of medicines in the translation of the Chilandar Medical Codex to the modern language have been identified. The second part of the essay focuses on the social importance of herbal healing and reveals diverse views on the subject. For influential churchmen and moralists, herbs as medicine had an ambiguous meaning, since they were connected with methods of birth control. In the hagiographical literature herbs and drugs of medieval doctors and healers lost their power as remedies in comparison with the miracle healing of holy men and priests. However, in everyday life herbs and prayers went together, and mediaeval monasteries were known for both their gardens of medical herbs and holy relics. If we are willing to trace the medieval prowess of herbal healing we will become aware of differences in the approaches, since medieval medical science is based on the strong influence of the humoral theory of Hippocrates and Galen. Also, one has to take into account the belief in supernatural causes of diseases and divine power of miraculous healing when the herbs were not of prime importance.

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