Ancient Medicine

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and you’d probably need it with these ancient remedies

Some of the weird and wonderful treatments of old

For as long as there have been humans, there has been disease and illness. And for as long as there has been disease, there have been remedies. Some have been so effective that they have remained in use for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, others… less so. It stands to reason that different cultures and civilisations have had their own medicines and supposed cures. People used what they had available to them, especially in antiquity when trade wasn’t what it is today. But while their methods may have seemed successful, there are some that fell out of use over time. And with some of these ‘cures’, it’s easy to see why. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.

Here, we examine ten ancient remedies for all manner of ailments. Some may surprise you, some may shock you, and some will definitely seem a little bit macabre.