ELEPHANT BILE FRESHENS BREATH

One civilisation’s answer to mouthwash

CHINA

Biles have always been used in traditional Chinese medicine, but in antiquity it was the elephants’ turn. Mentioned in Lei Xiao’s Treatise on Preparation of Drugs, dating back to the 5th century, it was used to treat halitosis, or bad breath. While it seems a little counterintuitive, ancient Chinese doctors swore by it, diluting it with water and ordering their patients to gargle the mixture.

That wasn’t the only use for elephant bile, though. It could also be dried and ground into pills with gallbladder biles of the common carp, bear, ox and musk. Taken with green tea, these pills could apparently cure blindness from optic atrophy and glaucoma.