Botica

Botica is a historical and regional term used in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking areas to denote a shop where medicines were prepared, dispensed, and sold. In English-language contexts it is often rendered as apothecary or pharmacy. The word derives from Latin botica, via the Greek apotheke, and originally referred to a place where medicinal compounds, herbs, tinctures, and other remedies were compounded by an apothecary.

Historically, boticas served as the practical centers of early pharmacology, combining pharmaceutical preparation with medical advice. Apothecaries operated under regulatory traditions that varied by country, often within guilds or municipal authorities, and their work included compounding drugs, labeling, and sometimes diagnosing or prescribing under local law. With the rise of modern pharmacy in the 19th and 20th centuries, the term botica became less common in everyday usage in many regions, superseded by farmacia or pharmacy.

In contemporary Spanish and Portuguese usage, botica is largely archaic or regional, found mainly in historical texts, literature, or in names of stores and institutions. In everyday language, farmacia is the standard term for a pharmacy, while botica may appear in branding or as a traditional or poetic reference.

In the Philippines, the term evolved to botika in common usage, reflecting Spanish influence; botika remains the standard word for a drugstore in Filipino. Government programs such as Botika ng Bayan and Botika ng Barangay were established to improve access to affordable medicines.