Amputations were performed as early as 950 BC in Egypt, where a wooden prosthetic toe was found in the mummified remains of an ancient king in Egypt. Known as the "Cairo toe", it showed great … [Read more...]
Ancient Medicine: Lamb’s Ear
We know Lamb's Ear as the soft, silvery-green leaves in a flower garden that are fun to pick and are especially good for children to "pet". But once upon a time, Lamb's Ear was also known as … [Read more...]
Dioscorides – Father of Modern Pharmacology
Pedanius Dioscorides was a Greek physician, born about 30 AD in Asia Minor (now modern Turkey). Two thousand years after his birth he is still remembered for the major contribution he made to medicine … [Read more...]
Ancient Medicine: Comfrey
You may have known that honey could be used as a dressing for wounds, and some of you out there perhaps knew that willow bark contained the main ingredient in aspirin, but I dare say not too many … [Read more...]
Ancient Medicine: The Water-Loving Willow
Another staple of ancient medicine was the water-loving willow tree. The use of willow bark dates back to Hippocrates in 400 BC. American Indians chewed willow bark to relieve fever and … [Read more...]
Honey and Ancient Medicine
Did you know that honey has been used for at least 2,000 years as a dressing for wounds and burns? Ancient medicine and the use of herbal potions and tinctures play a role in my first two early … [Read more...]
