The medical field of nursing has helped save people's lives since the medieval and Renaissance periods. In the medieval period, women had multiple roles such as: practitioners, midwives, nurses, and local folk healers. Nurses were present only when necessary. They were especially needed during the time when there was the Black Death. They had to perform many tasks for the sick. People died one by one from the Black Death. They prepared the bodies for the funeral. (The history of medicine). There were many types of medicines used during this time period. According to lordsandladies.org, “Medicine of the Middle Ages was extremely basic in a time when terrible diseases like the Black Death killed nearly a third of the population. Medicine was limited. Doctors had no idea what caused this illness and disease. Catholic churches thought that illnesses were punishment from God. “Medicines were used to treat simple things like headaches and joint pain. The nurses used roses, lavender, sage and bay (for headaches) and a mixture of henbane and hemlock (for joint pain). For stomach pains and illnesses, nurses used wormwood, mint, and balm. For lung problems, medicines based on licorice and comfrey were used. For wounds they were cleaned with vinegar. Mint could be used for poison. Diagnostic methods during the early Renaissance were no different from the medieval period or the Middle Ages. Nurses and doctors had no idea how to treat very infectious diseases. When someone was diagnosed with syphilis, no one knew what to do. To cure diseases, they tried to use superstitious rites and magic. King Charles II was even asked to touch the sick... middle of paper... soothed feet and sore breasts. The best documentation of childbirth and aftercare appears to be provided by illustrations on wooden trays and majolica made for use by the new mother in Renaissance Italy. (http://www.gallowglass.org/jadwiga/herbs/WomenMed.html) Phytotherapy is the use of medicinal plants for the prevention and treatment of diseases: it ranges from traditional and popular medicines of each country to the use of standardized drugs and titrated plant extracts. In general, the persistence of cultural roots and diffusion in a Traditional Medical System can indicate safety, but not effectiveness of treatments, especially in herbal medicine where tradition is almost completely based on remedies containing active ingredients at very low and very low concentrations, or which rely with magical powers. -energy principles. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2206236/)