Lichens are understood to be symbiotic organisms consisting of mycobiont and photobiont partners. This mutual partnership results in the production of unique secondary metabolites, which are used in contemporary pharmacy and medicine. The purpose of this study is to explore the uses of lichens in a particular period of medieval pharmacology: it retraced the relevant Arabic terms for, and descriptions of, lichens in the Kitab al-Saydanah fi al-Tibb, the “Book of Pharmacy in Medicine” written by Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973-1048). It will be shown that al-Biruni used اشنة (ushnah) for naming epiphytic lichens and حزاز الصخر (hazaz al-sakhr) for saxicolous ones. The information about lichens transmitted in his text is in accordance with that of his contemporary Ibn Sina, the famous physician and philosopher. In that period, the study, transmission and updating of the legacy of Antiquity promoted and influenced the use of lichens in Arabic and Islamic pharmacology and medicine.

地衣被认为是由真菌和光生物伴侣组成的共生生物。这种相互的伙伴关系导致产生独特的次生代谢产物，这些产物被用于当代药学和医学领域。这项研究的目的是探索地衣在中世纪药理学的特定时期的用途：它追溯了Kitab al-Saydanah fi al-Tibb（《美国药典》）中有关地衣的阿拉伯语术语和描述。医学”由Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni（973-1048）撰写。将显示al-Biruni使用اشنة（ushnah）来命名附生地衣和حزازالصخر（hazaz al-sakhr）。在他的文字中传送的有关地衣的信息与他当代的著名医师和哲学家伊本·西纳（Ibn Sina）的信息相符。在那个时期，对古代遗产的研究，传播和更新促进并影响了地衣在阿拉伯和伊斯兰药理学和医学中的使用。