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The Use and Analysis of Paoenia Officinalis from the Records of Anna Maria Luisa De’ Medici in the Medici Archives in Florence, Italy

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The Use and Analysis of Paoenia Officinalis from the Records of Anna Maria Luisa De’ Medici in the Medici Archives in Florence, Italy The use and analysis of Paoenia officinalis from the records of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici in the Medici archives in Florence, Italy. Grant T. Czapla1, Ashley Buchanan2, Dr. Kyra N. Krakos1,3 Maryville University1,University of South Florida2, Missouri Botanical Garden3 Abstract This is an historical ethno botanical study focusing on the use of Paeonia officinalis by Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici (1667-1716). In Florence, Italy, the Medici Archives house the correspondence and documentation of the ruling house of Medici in the 15th and 16th century. Recent translations have provided documentation of the use of P. officinalis as a key recipe promoted by Annaccc Maria as a treatment for childhood fevers. In this study we document the pre-Linnean taxonomy of P. officinalis, compare past and present medicinal uses, and examine the known biochemistry of this species. This research was conducted both in collaboration with the Medici Archives and at the Missouri Botanical Garden Raven Library. We find that the use of P. officinalis has multiple sources of folk medicine documentation, and has biochemical properties consistent with potential efficacy for medicinal effects. Introduction Table 1: Summary of Medicinal Uses of Paeonia officinalis. This project examines documents housed in the Medici Archive, Time Period /Locality Plant Part Use Source Lev, E., & Amar, Z. (n.d.). Practical Materia Medica of the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean According to the Cairo Ancient Greece Seed Treat convulsions, epilepsy, nightmares, and nervous ailments which is located in Florence, Italy. Specifically, we focus on Genizah. Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici (Fig. 6), the last Medici Princess De Materia Medica: Being an Herbal with many other medicinal materials, translated by Tess Anne Osbaldeston 1st Century AD Root Treat fevers, witchcraft, demons, and poisons (1667-1716). Anna Maria, like many other Medici in Florence (2000). Ibidis Press: Johannesburg. for generations, had a specific interest in medicines and Wichtl, M. (2004). Herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals: A handbook for practice on a scientific basis. Stuttgart: Middle Ages Seed and Root Treat Epilepsy, intestinal disturbances, and gout pharmacology. In particular, she is known for her recipe which Medpharm. treats infant convulsions (Fig. 1). The translated document is a Treat bladder stones, stomach ache, labor pains, nightmares, diarrhea, Middle Ages Seed and Root Fisher C. Flowers of the Renaissance. (1st ed). London: Frances Lincoln Publishers; 2011. “recipe” which contains one ounce of peony root and seed, two and epilepsy Figure 6 Unani Medicine (Perso-Arabic Used as antispasmodic, inflammatory, neuroprotective. Treatment in Saad B, Said O. Health care of the mother and the child in Unani medicine. In: Greco-Arab and the Islamic Herbal ounces of human skull from an individual who died violently, NA traditional medicine) paralysis, infantile epilepsy, cerebral atony, and nervous debility. Medicine. New Jersey; 2011. but not buried, two ounces of red and white coral, and one ounce Unani Medicine (Perso-Arabic Used as antispasmodic, inflammatory, neuroprotective. Treatment in Yousuf S, Atif F, Ahmad M, Ishrat T, Khan B, Islam F. Neuroprotection Offered by Majun Khadar, A Traditional NA of amber. Five grains of the powder were given to the afflicted traditional medicine) paralysis, infantile epilepsy, cerebral atony, and nervous debility. Unani Medicine, during Cerebral Ischemic Damge in Rats. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2010 Jan 3. individual (Buchanan, 2013). The recipe was in high demand Chinese Medicine Seed and Root Treatment of liver diseases Herbalmanac.com [Internet]. Dehlvi Remedies; 2011 from Anna Maria, and may haveccc been biochemically efficacious, Andrieu E, Debussche M. Diaspore removal and potential dispersers of the rare and protected Paeonia officinalis L. Indian Medicine Seed and Root NA with the likely active ingredients of the recipe being the peony (Paeonigracae) in a changing landscape. Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Society 2007; 154: 13-25. root and seed (Fig. 5). Due to the recipe being written before Modern Roots Treatment of epilepsy, spasms, and convulsions. Osti, G. L. (2004). The book of Mediterranean peonies = Il libro delle peonie mediterranee . Fig. 6: Portrait of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici. Wikipedia Commons Linnaeus’s classification system, we asked the following questions: 1. What is the plant species referred to in the recipe for infant convulsions document of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici? 2. What were the medicinal uses of Paeonia officinalis in the past and present? 3. What is the expected biological effect and efficacy of treatment, given the known biochemistry of these identified Fig. 4: Research being conducted at the Fig. 5: The seeds of P. officinalis. Wikipedia species? Missouri Botanical Raven Library. Commons Discussion Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici used the recipe for political power, by sharing it with other noble families. Given the identity and biochemistry of the likely active ingredient, P. officinalis, the reported success is likely due to her recipe. Although Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici was not a part of institutional medicine, she contributed her Introduced knowledge of plants into recipes which claimed to trait illnesses such as Native fever or even epilepsy (Buchanan, 2013). Fig. 2: P. officinalis is native to northern Italy, southern France, Switzerland, Hungary, and Fig. 3: Watercolor painting of Paeonia officinalis References Albania. from 1650. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 1. Buchanan, Ashley. (2013). “Pulverized Skull and Rhino Blood”: Recipes of the Last Medici Princess. 3. Rogers, A. (1995). Peonies. Portland, Or.: Timber Press. 2. Stern, F. C. (1946). A study of the genus Paeonia. London: Royal Horticultural Society. Fig. 1: The original document of Anna Maria de’ Medici “recipe for infant convulsions” Results 3. Sugaya, A., Suzuki, T., Sugaya, E., Yuyama, N., Yusada, K., & Tsuda, T. (1991, May/June). from the Medici Archive in Florence, Italy. 1. The most likely species of peony from the Medici recipe is P. officinalis (Fig. 3), which is native to Inhibitory effect of peony root extract on pentylenetetrazol-induced EEG power spectrum changes and extracellular calcium concentration changes in rat cerebral cortex. 6. Tsuda, T., northern Italy, southern France, Hungary and as far south as Albania (Rogers, 1995) (Fig. 2). The first Sugaya, A., Ohguchi, H., Kishida, N., & Sugaya, E. (1997, August). Protective Effects of Methods written text describing what may be P. officinalis is from the 1st century AD. By 1553, P. officinalis was Peony The Medici Archive houses millions of documents which cover the being described by two names, P. foemina and P. mascula. The accepted scientific name of P. officinalis politics, economics, and even medicine in the beginning of early was given by Carl Linnaeus in Species Planatarum in 1753 (Stern, 1946). Acknowledgements modern Tuscany . We collaborated with historian Dr. Ashley 2. The past and present medicinal uses of P. Officinalis are summarized in Table 1. I would like to thank Dr. Kyra N. Krakos for allowing me to participate in the research, as well Buchanan who provided translationsa of the documents used in this 3. The anticonvulsant properties of P. officinalis are attributed to Albiflorin and gallotannin fraction, which as her guidance throughout the gathering of data and the formation of a poster. Thank you Dr. study. The archives at the Missouri Botanical Garden Raven decreases extracellular calcium, as well as the increase in intracellular calcium (Sugaya et al. 1991). Ashley Buchanan, for her translations of the documents, as well as the Medici archive for allowing my colleagues and I to visit the archives. Thank you to the Missouri Botanical Garden Library were used for the identification of the plant referred to in Peony root extract contains gallotaninn, which when taken orally protects from nerve damage, and also for the use of the Raven Library, and Maryville University, which provided grant money for the the document as its pre-Linnaean common name (Fig. 4). has anticonvulsant activity (Tsuda et al. 1997). research. .
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