An Aztec Herbal

About this book

Anthropologists have long known that the Aztecs had a well-developed knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants. The present volume is a painstaking reproduction of an extremely rare illustrated Aztec herbal in the Vatican Library. Written in the mid-sixteenth century, it is America’s earliest medical book. The manuscript offers a fascinating glimpse into the ways Indians used plants (as well as minerals and animal parts) to treat a wide range of illnesses, from minor ailments such as dandruff, boils and toothaches to glaucoma, joint disease, angina, intestinal parasites and other health problems.
Unabridged republication of the work published by The John Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1940, under the title The Badianus Manuscript(Codex Barberini, Latin 241).