This introduction examines the long afterlife of Galenic pharmacopoeia, tracing its persistence and transformation from the Renaissance to the early nineteenth century. Rather than being displaced by chemistry and new medical frameworks, Galenic remedies remained central to therapeutic practice, adapting to evolving scientific, commercial, and philosophical contexts. The chapter explores key factors behind this endurance, including humanist scholarship, pharmacological experimentation, and the global circulation of materia medica. It also considers the integration of Galenic principles into emerging medical theories and their hybridisation with iatrochemistry and mechanical philosophy. Special attention is given to the commodification of materia medica and the ways in which Galenic remedies were incorporated into global trade networks. By reassessing the continued relevance of Galenic principles and protocols, this volume offers new perspectives on their role in early modern medicine.