Background: The geographic distribution of pharmacies reflects interactions between population needs, economic viability, professional regulation, and healthcare development. Historical analysis can clarify how territorial inequalities in pharmaceutical provision emerged. Methods: This retrospective historical study reconstructed the pharmacy network in Bihor before 1920 using archival records, contemporary pharmaceutical yearbooks, historical statistics, and published studies. Oradea was analysed separately from the extra-urban county territory. Independent establishments were distinguished from relocations and dependent units, and temporal, geographic, and population-to-pharmacy indicators were calculated and interpreted descriptively. Results: Outside Oradea, 31 historical pharmacy entries were identified between 1798 and 1915; 28 were independent establishments, two were relocations, and one was a dependent branch. Nineteen of the 28 independent establishments (67.9%) appeared after 1880, and 23 (82.1%) represented first pharmacies in previously unserved localities. By the end of the analysed period, pharmacy provision remained markedly more concentrated in Oradea than in the extra-urban territory. Conclusions: Pharmacy development in Bihor followed a centre–periphery pattern characterised by early urban concentration, delayed territorial diffusion, and selective local intensification, illustrating a lasting tension between economic viability and equitable geographical access to pharmacy services. The findings show that the numerical expansion of a pharmacy network does not by itself ensure equitable access, a challenge that remains relevant to contemporary pharmacy regulation and practice.

Polygonum aviculare L. (PAV) is a widely distributed medicinal plant traditionally used for its diuretic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, whose phenolic composition varies with provenance. This study provides the first integrated pharmacobotanical and phytochemical characterization of five wild PAV populations collected across a lowland-to-mountain gradient (105–605 m a.s.l.) in Bihor County, northwestern Romania. Botanical identity was authenticated by macroscopic and microscopic pharmacobotanical examination, which revealed a consistent anatomical organization alongside a qualitative morphological gradient related to altitude. The phenolic profile of the aerial parts was determined by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS, and differences among populations were assessed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD test. Fourteen phenolic compounds were detected and annotated, comprising one hydroxycinnamic acid, twelve flavonol glycosides, and one flavonol aglycone, with kaempferol derivatives predominating across all populations. Chlorogenic acid and rutin were confirmed using authentic reference standards, whereas the remaining compounds were tentatively annotated. A quercetin-O-arabinoside tentatively assigned as avicularin was consistently detected across all populations, supporting its potential as a candidate phytochemical marker. The sum of chromatographically quantified phenolic compounds varied markedly, showing a nearly six-fold difference between the richest and poorest populations, while the qualitative fingerprint remained conserved. Exploratory analysis indicated a general tendency toward lower phenolic content along a lowland-to-mountain environmental gradient characterized by increasing altitude and precipitation and decreasing mean annual temperature, although the total content was not significantly correlated with altitude. This pronounced inter-population variability underlines that wild-harvested PAV cannot be assumed uniform, highlighting the need for standardized extracts and site-specific phytochemical documentation in its pharmaceutical use.