In the gynaecological and nosological treatises of the Hippocratic collection there is a rich heritage of pharmacological materials. Doctors of later ages show an ambivalent attitude toward these materials: they quote Hippocrates to give authority to their works even if they consider it outdated from a scientific point of view. Starting from the Hellenistic age, in fact, there was a great interest in poisons and antidotes and a considerable increase in the number of ingredients in recipes; the innovations and extensions in the use of medicinal plants (as Dioscorides and Galen testify) make references to the old ‘master’ superfluous. At this point, Hippocrates can also be criticized (as in Dioscorides, Pliny, Soranus of Ephesus).