Pharmaceutical Compounding: A Fascinating Story

All over Australia, people have prescriptions filled every single day. Every time you walk into a pharmacy to get your medicine, you are utilising many years of medical research. To be certain, there is a very long, storied history behind the modern compounding pharmacy. Learning about it is interesting and worthwhile.

Ancient Times -

As much as 80,000 years ago, there is evidence - in the form of art, especially on cave walls - that humans were experimenting with the plants around them. Over thousands of years people have turned to herbs and plants for their healing properties. Just as poisonous and ineffective plants and minerals were duly noted, so were those that presented positive benefits for curing various ailments. However, the basic benefits presented by many plants weren't enough to satisfy curious experimenters, who starting to mix things together to arrive at even more potent - and effective - concoctions.

Origins Of The Pharmacy -

The term "pharmacy" is believed to be derived from the Greek word pharmaka, which means "remedy." Since the Greeks are largely credited with being among the first people to take a truly scientific approach to the world around them, it is safe to deduce that modern pharmacy holds many of its roots in the practices of the ancient Greeks. The first chemical processes and experimentation occurred in Egypt, China and Mesopotamia; a combination of chemical processes used by these cultures mixed with the Greek beliefs and methodology is what shaped the modern day pharmaceutical compounding.

Compounding Begins In Earnest -

During the Middle Ages, priests and doctors began combining - or compounding - different things together to arrive at a selection of spirits, powders and elixirs that were used to cure or deal with common ailments. In the 1600s, the Pharmacopeias of London and Paris both featured a broad range of these products that were commonly used. Neighbourhood compounding pharmacies became commonplace; however, the Industrial Revolution would have a major impact on them.

Modern Compounding -

The Industrial Revolution changed the face of pharmaceutical compounding forever. The small neighbourhood compounding pharmacy was largely done away with as medications were being produced in mass quantities with machinery. However, modern machinery did not signal the extinction of the compounding pharmacy. Instead, compounding simply evolved to involve customisation in lieu of production. Today, compounding pharmacists still do a very brisk trade as they compound popular medications to suit the needs of people, whether it's by changing the dose or enhancing a medicine with a more palatable flavour for children. Without a doubt, compounding will remain an important part of modern medicine for the foreseeable future.