The Cluj-Napoca Pharmacy Museum hosts a new phase of research on historic pharmaceutical heritage, led by the AIS Director in collaboration with the Romanian Academy – Cluj-Napoca Branch
The Aromas Itinerarium Salutis (AIS) Association continues its strong commitment to the rigorous study and scientific valorisation of European pharmaceutical heritage.
The Director of the Aromas Itinerarium Salutis Association, Marisa Vázquez de Ágredos Pascual, is currently undertaking a research residency at the Romanian Academy – Cluj-Napoca Branch, under the supervision of Prof. Lucian Cuibus and with funding from the Generalitat Valenciana, pursuing the following objectives:
1. Selection and sampling of historical materials
Collect samples of simple substances and historical medicines preserved at the Cluj-Napoca Pharmacy Museum, following a selection based on scientific and cultural interest, in agreement with the museum’s curator, our colleague Ana-Maria Gruia.
Marisa Vázquez de Ágredos Pascual at the Cluj-Napoca Pharmacy Museum (MNIT) © AIS.
2 - Physico-chemical study
Conduct the physico-chemical study of the sampled materia medica, using the analytical protocol developed in recent years for similar samples in other pharmacy museums and historic pharmacies in Spain and Italy. This is carried out with the collaboration of university labs and research centres in the AIS Network, such as those in the Science Park of the Universitat de València (Spain), Aboca Laboratory (Italy), and the Hercules Laboratory of the Universidade de Évora (Portugal).
Samples from the Pharmacy Museum of Cluj-Napoca (MNIT) © AIS.
3 - Historical and cultural interpretation
Develop a historical and cultural interpretation of the origin and use of these medicinal substances, taking into account their current presence in the rural communities of Transylvania.
4 - Building a European Thesaurus
Link the materia medica found at the Cluj-Napoca Museum — studied from a physico-chemical, historical-cultural and ethnographic perspective — with results from other European pharmacy museums and historic pharmacies. This will contribute to the creation of a European Thesaurus of materia medica, currently under development by the international network Aromas Itinerarium Salutis, promoter of the “European Route of Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens”, of which both the Cluj-Napoca Pharmacy Museum and the Romanian Academy are members, the latter also affiliated with the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca.
Marisa Vazquez de Agredos and Ana-Maria Gruia at the Cluj-Napoca Pharmacy Museum © AIS.
International collaboration and scientific innovation
The analysis of the sampled historical substances will take place in the laboratories of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) in Romania, in collaboration with the Universitat de València in Spain.
An active network for European pharmaceutical memory
During this residency, samples will be collected and their physico-chemical study initiated, using the analytical protocol implemented and validated in recent years by the Aromas Itinerarium Salutis network. This falls within one of the key action lines required by the Council of Europe for certified Cultural Routes: cooperation in research and development.
Validating this method at the Cluj-Napoca Pharmacy Museum will allow new results to emerge, connecting Europe through materia medica — a cultural legacy that speaks of historical memory and European cultural identity.