Take Two Colocynths and Call Me in the Morning: Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Ancient Egyptians practiced an unexpectedly sophisticated form of medicine, in some cases using remedies that modern pharmaceutical researchers are just starting to explore, report University of Manchester researchers who analyzed medical papyri predating Hippocrates by 1,000 years:

The medical documents, which were first discovered in the mid-19th century, showed that ancient Egyptian physicians treated wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be antimicrobial.

The team also discovered prescriptions for laxatives of castor oil and colocynth and bulk laxatives of figs and bran. Other references show that colic was treated with hyoscyamus, which is still used today, and that cumin and coriander were used as intestinal carminatives.

Further evidence showed that musculo-skeletal disorders were treated with rubefacients to stimulate blood flow and poultices to warm and soothe. They used celery and saffron for rheumatism, which are currently topics of pharmaceutical research, and pomegranate was used to eradicate tapeworms, a remedy that remained in clinical use until 50
years ago.

"Many of the ancient remedies we discovered survived into the 20th century and, indeed, some remain in use today, albeit that the active component is now produced synthetically," said Dr Campbell.

Egyptians, not Greeks were true fathers of medicine [press release]
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Image: University of Charleston*