How did physic gardens help train medical students?

Physic gardens played a vital role in medical education by serving as practical training grounds for students at university medical schools. During the 16th century, these gardens were established to cultivate plants used in the preparation of medicines, providing students with direct access to the raw materials of their trade.12

Because professors of medicine were typically the primary botanists of that era, they utilized these gardens to teach students how to identify, study, and harvest medicinal plants. By integrating the cultivation of these species with academic instruction, physic gardens bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge—often derived from herbals—and the practical application of botany in clinical practice.13