“Seek and ye shall find” seems to be the motto of modern medicinal chemists,
whether digging out soil fungi, diving in the tropics or uprooting rare plants
in the search for the next natural product to cure all our ills. Ancient recipes
and the potions of the apothecaries provide some more helpful pointers, and
Prospecting for Drugs in Ancient and Medieval European Texts
(£39/$65, ISBN 3 7186 5928 X), edited by Bart Holland, is a treat
for the pharmaceuticals researcher, bringing to light the potential of trawling
through old manuscripts.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Technology
Robots are about to overtake armed soldiers as the deciders of war
News

Humans
Iron Age Britons may have removed the brains of the dead
News

Life
Frozen squirrel scat preserves ancient DNA from hundreds of species
News

Environment
The last-ditch plan to save coral reefs from utter destruction
Features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Why we should all take quantum physics extremely personally
2
Robots are about to overtake armed soldiers as the deciders of war
3
The last-ditch plan to save coral reefs from utter destruction
4
Dinosaur-killing asteroid impact site stayed hot for millions of years
5
Understanding anorexia’s grip on the brain could unlock new therapies
6
Can Apple and Google stop children from sharing explicit images?
7
What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?
8
Escher: The paradoxical artist beloved by mathematicians
9
A golden age of maths is dawning and mathematicians are freaking out
10
You could get some of the benefits of sleep without having to nod off