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Recent discoveries by historians reveal ancient health remedies from the Middle Ages that surprisingly resemble today’s viral trends on platforms like TikTok. A comprehensive database called the Corpus of Early Medieval Latin Medicine, announced by Binghamton University, sheds light on historical perspectives regarding health, science, and medicine.
Associate Professor Meg Leja played a vital role in cataloging hundreds of medieval medical texts, focusing particularly on Latin manuscripts that survived up to the year 1000. Leja noted that this extensive work covered most of Continental Europe, although early medieval medical literature in England primarily exists in Old English.
“Considering the scarcity of manuscripts from before the year 600, our exploration mainly centers on the period from 600 to 1000,” she explained.
The database uncovered several health practices that align closely with modern wellness concepts. Here are six intriguing examples:
Detox Plans of the Past
Historians discovered references to a 12-month detox plan involving herbal remedies such as cinnamon, sage, ginger, and fennel. These herbs were consumed monthly, claiming to cleanse the body of toxins and unwanted buildup in a manner reminiscent of contemporary juice cleanses.
Radiance Through Vinegar
Another recommendation highlighted in the database featured a vinegar-based facial remedy intended to enhance skin radiance. The instructions emphasized mixing wheat flour with vinegar and applying this concoction as a plaster combined with oil.
The Revival of Barley Water
Barley water, a concoction that has become popular among social media influencers as a natural remedy, was also endorsed by medieval healers. A pre-1000 A.D. text indicated that combining barley with hot wine would support digestive health.
Unusual and Unpleasant Cures
Some ancient remedies diverged significantly from current practices, featuring ingredients that are unpleasant and hard to source. For instance, a text from around 1250 touted the remarkable benefits of using dead vultures as a universal cure for various ailments. The method involved capturing a vulture and decapitating it while invoking a specific incantation.
According to the text, the vulture’s skull was believed to prevent migraines, while its eyeballs were said to alleviate eye pain. Additionally, fastening the vulture’s feathers to a pregnant woman’s legs was purported to expedite labor.
Unusual Beauty Treatments
In one late 9th-century manuscript, an intriguing beauty tip suggested using ashes from a green lizard to promote fuller hair. The instructions recommended applying a mixture of summer savory, salt, and vinegar to the hair, followed by the lizard ashes combined with oil.
The Most Disturbing Remedy
A particularly shocking recipe, taken from an 11th-century manuscript, offered guidance for chest pain relief. This involved dissolving goat dung in water and consuming the mixture to alleviate pain.
Dr. J. Matthew Knight, a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon, advised caution for anyone considering these historical remedies. He acknowledged that while ingredients like barley, cinnamon, and fennel may offer minor digestive benefits, the 12-month detox concept lacks scientific credibility.
Knight raises further concerns about the vinegar facial mask, pointing out the risk of irritant contact dermatitis, despite vinegar’s acknowledged antibacterial properties. He warned that the more extreme techniques, such as using goat dung for chest issues, are not only unsanitary but potentially harmful.
He humorously remarked that these ancient remedies occupy a space that is somewhere between being amusing and utterly ineffective.
The Historical Context of Health Beliefs
Dr. Knight placed the medieval remedies within a broader historical context, indicating that these practices predate critical medical advancements such as the microscope and germ theory. They reflect an understanding of health that attributed ailments to spiritual imbalances, moral failings, or cosmic influences rather than to known bacterial or viral causes.
In summary, he emphasized that the framework of medieval health beliefs was based on theories of ‘body humors’ rather than established medical science, rendering many of these remedies devoid of a sound scientific basis. Thus, whether considering medieval treatments or contemporary TikTok trends, skepticism remains crucial.
