Ibn al-Baytar

Diaa al-Din Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Maliki. He was born in Andalusia and died in 646 AH/1248 AD. He was known as Ibn al-Baytar because his father was a veterinarian who was considered an expert in botany and pharmacy. He is considered the greatest botanist to appear in the Middle Ages, and made great contributions in the fields of pharmacy, as he wrote a comprehensive encyclopedia on the preparation and composition of medicine and food, in which he mentioned 1,400 types of plants in Spain, North Africa and Syria that can be used for medical purposes. He mentioned 300 types that no doctor had identified before him. He presented to the world, through his encyclopedia, methods of composing medicine for some diseases, and the doses required to be taken.
The medical prescriptions recorded by Ibn al-Baytar proved to be a great success in the East and the West, and were adopted as the basis for pharmacology. His book, Al-Jami’, was used to create the first English pharmacy, which was prepared by the College of Medicine during the reign of James I.
Ibn al-Baytar discovered one of the first herbal medicines for treating cancer, which is the dandelion, a plant that has proven successful in combating malignant tumors.
His book, «Al-Jami’ li-Mufradat al-Adwiya wa al-Aghdhiyya», also known as «Mufradat Ibn al-Baytar», is considered one of the most valuable botanical books.
The German physician and orientalist Max Maihoff said about him, «He is the greatest Arab writer who has appeared in botany,» and that he arranged this book according to the alphabetical order of the dictionary to facilitate its use and reading for readers and students. Among his other valuable books are «Al-Jami’» and «Al-Mufti fi Al-Adwiya Al-Mufradah» and others.
Parts of his translation were printed in Latin in 1758 under the title Simple Medicines.
Source:«1001 Inventions» is a witness to the achievements of Islamic civilization