The work was first published in the late 19th century by Franz Eugen Köhler of Gera.

Its complete title is Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erläuterndem Texte : Atlas zur Pharmacopoea germanica, austriaca, belgica, danica, helvetica, hungarica, rossica, suecica, Neerlandica, British pharmacopoeia, zum Codex medicamentarius, sowie zur Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America.

A third volume was added in 1898, entitled Neueste Medizinalpflanzen und Verwechslungen, which is a supplement containing additions and corrections.

The botanical illustrators were Walther Otto Müller, C. F. Schmidt, and K. Gunther.

A reprint was published in Germany a century after the original, first of extracts of the work, later the complete three volumes.