ABSTRACT
The recorded uses of plants as medicinals dates back over 5,000 years to the earliest known civilization: the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). Uses of plants such as laurel, caraway, and thyme were described for treating diseases and ailments. Sumerians also developed the art of writing, the practice of organized agriculture, and irrigation; the wheel and the arch were developed during their time, which spanned over 3,000 years.
