Natural Medicines – Older Than We Think

Sharing an interesting article I found to confirm that natural medicine is even older than we think!! The point being we can grow most of these herbs and plants to satisfy daily medicinal needs before running off to the doctor for big pharma drugs. There is a place for all in the industry but the sad over-use of modern day drugs is really a sad state of affairs!!

“Egyptian medicine is some of the oldest ever ( 33 Century BC) – “In Egypt, the men are more skilled in medicine than any of human kind,” and “The Egyptians were skilled in medicine more than any other art.”

Treatments consisted of ailments made from animal, vegetable, fruits and minerals. Scrolls contain some 700 remedies including empirical practice and observation. The papyrus actually contains a “treatise on the heart,” which recognizes the heart as the center of the blood supply, with vessels attached.

Even mental disorders, depression and dementia were detailed in one of the chapters. The Egyptians were treating intestinal disease and parasites, eye and skin problems, and even abscesses and tumors.

Remedies from the ancient Ebers Papyrus scrolls:

• Aloe vera was used to alleviate burns, ulcers, skin diseases and allergies

• Basil was written up as heart medicine

• Balsam Apple (Apple of Jerusalem) was used as a laxative and as a liver stimulant

• Bayberry was prescribed for diarrhea, ulcers and hemorrhoids

• Caraway soothed digestion and was a breath freshener

• Colchicum (citrullus colocynthus or meadow saffron) soothed rheumatism and reduced swelling

• Dill was recognized for laxative and diuretic properties

• Fenugreek was prescribed for respiratory disorders and to cleanse the stomach and calm the liver and pancreas

• Frankincense was used for throat and larynx infections, and to stop bleeding and vomiting

• Garlic was given to the Hebrew slaves daily to give them vitality and strength for building the pyramids

• Licorice was utilized as a mild laxative, to expel phlegm, and to alleviate chest and respiratory problems

• Onion was taken to prevent colds and to address cardiovascular problems (How did they know?)

• Parsley was prescribed as a diuretic

• Thyme was given as a pain reliever and Tumeric for open wounds

• Poppy was used to relieve insomnia, as an anesthetic, and to deaden pain

• Coriander was taken as a tea for urinary complaints, including cystitis

• Pomegranate root was strained with water and drunk to address “snakes of the belly” (tapeworms). The alkaloids contained in pomegranate paralyzed the worms’ nervous system and they relinquished their hold.

• Persian henna was used against hair loss

Disease was not uncommon in Ancient Egypt. There were many skin afflictions and parasites from the Nile river waters. Worms and tuberculosis were common, sometimes transmitted from cattle. Pneumonia struck people who breathed in too much sand into the lungs during sand storms. But the Egyptian physicians took full advantage of the natural resources all around them in order to treat common ailments. Many of their methods are still very viable today and are considered part of the homeopathic world of medicine.

Thanks to diligent record keeping, scholars have been able to translate the scrolls and appreciate what the Egyptians knew back then about anatomy, hygiene, and healing. Those scrolls, without question, paved the way for modern medicine.”