The Renaissance in Florence, marked by beauty and excitement despite plagues and wars, owes much to the Medici family, who pioneered modern banking and were exceptional patrons of art, science, and plant medicine. They collected medicinal plants and established vast botanic gardens, still present today. Their support for the University of Pisa and Cosimo I?s creation of the chair of simples transformed herbal medicine education. This book explores the development of Florence's first hospital and medicinal plant garden, detailing the plants used by the Medici in alchemical labs and their modern applications, chemistry, and healing properties.
