Medieval remedy for modern day superbugs

I found this article amazing. It shows, at least, that before the modern scientific method, there were people experimenting with cures for diseases as the modern scholars found that any single ingredient in the 'potion' had hardly any effect on modern superbugs. It raises the question once again that how much do we actually know in the modern era since it seems highly unlikely that this cure was arrived at by chance. I guess the researchers will spend some time deciphering why the cure works as well as it does since the cause of the effectiveness of the remedy is still unknown.

What think you ATS? Are there more cures for ailments awaitng discovery in old manuscripts around the world? Should we take a more serious stance towards ancient knowledge even though that knowledge was not cooked up by the modern scientific method?

a reply to: TatTvamAsi

Wow! That blows my mind. How the h*ll did they do that before the scientific method and even the microscope?

I wonder if they even knew what bacteria were, and if so, how?



soulwaxer

a reply to: TatTvamAsi

Interesting read.

I have two old, tried and true cure-alls that have seen me through some tough bugs.

The first is from my grandmother:

1. Rum, honey, lemon and hot water....Heavy on the rum.

The next is from my dad:

2. "Walk it off ya weenie!" ...Heavy on the "Weenie!"

They still work to this day.

ahh...memories.

Jude11

a reply to: jude11

From which era is your advice originally from? Stone age? Any scientific backup on that one?

a reply to: TatTvamAsi

Nothing is new under the Sun.

I suppose that's true.

a reply to: TatTvamAsi

Funny this, because in the UK everything possible to void ancient remedies is being done. Herbalists are being drummed out, naturapaths ridiculed yet suddenly your post comes up and that inner voice (from the past wishers in one's head that says how the hell did my ancestors and the human race survive before modern pharma - yet they did which opens up all sorts of questions.

I loathe that superior attitude of the uk's nanny state on its regulation (and interference) over individual rights over what we can use to heal us and what not - of course with only vested interests benefitting. Our ghastly royal queen has done us a good measure - but only in on the basis of her inner knowledge and trust in homeopathy and pure selfishness as she prefers homeopathic remedies over much of big pharmas chemical potions, that we still are allowed homeopathy cos she wouldn't let the government shut it down. Even the aromatherapy oils now have to go through the giant corporations courtesy of corrupt legislation getting rid of the small specialists and of course all their knowledge often passed down through generations.

Just the thought of MRSA being stopped in its tracks makes me cheer. The hospital my son works in currently is being hit badly by the norovirus and I am quietly hoping he doesn't get it and bring it home otherwise Easter in the loo.

A huge proportion of modern medicines are purified forms of ancient remedies.

Yes, we have improved them but all in all, we still use the same stuff.

It is unknown how ancient people discovered the remedies but modern man is always hampered by the belief that we, now, are the best that have ever been.

Over the centuries we have lost so much knowledge. Just think of what remedies that the Inca civilization had, and all destroyed by the Spanish as they destroyed the records of that people...

This was repeated time and time again across the whole world and continues to this very day as ISIS rampages destroying this, that and the other solely due to religious fanaticism.

I wonder what medical marvels are kept in the catacombs under the Vatican, stolen and hidden by the Church, hell bent on taking so many scrolls and Tomes out of circulation. How much sheer knowledge was lost by idiots burning that which in most cases they could not even read.

Such a waste.

We are not as smart as we think we are.

P

a reply to: soulwaxer

Its an entirely different paradigm for differential diagnosis and protocol. Modern day herbalists in many traditions continue to formulate and "prescribe" medicine in this way to this very day. People have had the wool pulled over their eyes in the medical industry just as much if not more than in any other industry in order to control and manipulate and finally profit.

In 1976 the United States Materia Medica had the same source material ratio (animal, mineral and plant) as Galen's Materia Medica in 100 AD Rome. The fact is you do not need to look through a microscope to understand what is going on in the body. Tongue reading, pulse reading, eye reading....the list is quite long and thousands of years older then any microscope for diagnosing and treating disease. Another point, ancient peoples were not just oafs, who couldn't understand things in a micro, or macroscopic level. The basis behind most all diagnostic paradigms I am trained in follows that exact addage: "As above so below." In Ayurvedic Medicine they use Tri-Dosha Theory, In Chinese Classical 5 Elements theory (the one I use) andin more modern Chinese Traditional Medicine the 8 humors is used.

Thes systems are based on thousands of years of empiricism, and in my opinion have a vastly superior understanding of substances interactions with another within the context of the human body.

a reply to: pheonix358

There are many ancient gems still extant, and more than a few practitioners of the art. You are correct that they have attempted to remove all relationship between the commoner and nature, but there a some of us, in fact there have always been some who carry the torch, who save the tomes, bound tomes (not that damnable electronic media which feeds into being controlled), there are still some legitimate schools...not all, many of the schools of herbology today are shdows of their formaer glory, but there are still a few.

Many of todays medicines (as Phoenix said) use extracts and active ingredients found in ancient cures, and many chemists used these 'old cures' as jumping off points when developing more efficient drugs, primitive man chewed willow bark for pain and lo and behold from this we isolated the active component and have aspirin. It is interesting how the ancients got it right sometimes and the trial and error process must have been exhausting and lengthy.

Saying that, a bit of research into medieval medicine and indeed medical practice and cures right up to the twentieth century would give you the willies and usually did more harm than good. Most of these were founded in old traditional 'magic' where the inherent traits or of a substance/plant/animal influenced its choice for use as a medicine. Physicians normally killed more people than they cured but like any gambler we usually only get to hear about the occasional win among the countless losses. Progress is never a straight road and we have probably lost as much knowledge as we have gained.

200 years ago, tobacco (now demonised) was seen as a miracle drug and ideal for health and vitality, and could bring you back from drowning if ingested in a particular fashion.

That would have made 'Baywatch' a much more interesting show!
And I am not blowing smoke up your a$$ with that one!

My mum had terrible varicose veins bad enough to be operated on & she started taking coloidial silver & in about 8 weeks they improved visibly, year later & she has none. I take vitamin d & hemp oil to help with hashimoto disease symptoms & my good days are beginning to out weigh the bad. There's so much more to natural therapies than we are led to believe,can't put the pharmaceutical companies out of business can we?!!

originally posted by: BlueJacket
Thes systems are based on thousands of years of empiricism, and in my opinion have a vastly superior understanding of substances interactions with another within the context of the human body.

Well, that is sure true. Just like the case with acupuncture, allegedly invented by meticulously cataloging arrow or puncture wound effects on soldiers over hundreds of years.

a reply to: jude11

1. Rum, honey, lemon and hot water. Heavy on the rum.

The one I was taught uses whiskey instead of rum and no water. But heavy on the alcohol for sure. If you take a look at each ingredient, it actually makes sense. Whiskey for it's alcohol/germ killing ability and to act as a pain killer,, lemon is acidic and makes your throat a hostile ground for bacteria, along with the vitamin C and honey has been found to be naturally antibacterial. Put'em all together and you have a tasty cough syrup. And if it doesn't work, keep drinkin' more and you won't care if you're sick

OP - I think there are many "folk remeedies" that just fell away because modern medicine pushed them out. With the discoveries being made from jelly fish and plants in the rain forests, we over look Mother Nature at our own peril. Not to say every leaf and bug will be the route to a cure, but I believe there is value in nature that we haven't found yet.

a reply to: pheonix358

Yes, its a shame we have lost so much. What a waste like you said.

The interesting part in the article was though that no single active ingredient was found in the 'potion'. I think the case with most ancient remedies 'purified' by modern science is that they isolated the active ingredient like with Aspirin (willow) and Digitoxin (a cardiac glycoside from the foxglove plant).

originally posted by: TatTvamAsi
a reply to: jude11

From which era is your advice originally from? Stone age? Any scientific backup on that one?

Stoned age? Sure.

The 60's.

Scientific evidence? Only that I'm still here to pass on the remedies.

Jude11

originally posted by: twinklez
My mum had terrible varicose veins bad enough to be operated on & she started taking coloidial silver & in about 8 weeks they improved visibly, year later & she has none. I take vitamin d & hemp oil to help with hashimoto disease symptoms & my good days are beginning to out weigh the bad. There's so much more to natural therapies than we are led to believe,can't put the pharmaceutical companies out of business can we?!!

My cat had a bad ear infection which the vet described mometamax to treat it. Then I read about all the problems with this ear stuff that caused deafness in quite a few cats. ( Turns out it's not approved for cats!!) I ended up using colloidal silver gel on him and it cleared up the infection in 3 days. Wow.

I also have a friend suffering from Hashimotos. How did you use the vitamin D and Hemp oil?

This does not surpise me. What DOES surprise me is that another arcticle states the scientists were stunned that this ancient remedy worked. Why would they be stunned? In my opinion ancient remedies work better than a lot conventional drugs.

I use turmeric for my PMS symptoms, peppermint oil for the occasional headache and clove oil if I get a toothache. I'm not on ANY prescription drugs.

a reply to: TatTvamAsi
The old ways are often the best ways IMO.
Another simple old trick that edwardian era hospitals used has been found to kill nasty bacterias/viruses-

Brass/copper doorknobs.

They are reintroducing them into modern hospitals,as they prevent the spread of superbugs.
Simple,yet effective,like so many old ideas.

www.businessinsider.com...

We won't be seeing any Pharma company working on this, they can't patent it. I am sure our modern laws created by the FDA with input from the Pharma companies would allow this formula to be produced or sold in the USA because of the raw ingredients. Stomach bile from a cow can vary greatly.

This interferes with cell to cell communication between the bacteria. I wonder if it disrupts our cell to cell communication also? I am sure it won't be a problem unless we use it for longer than a week.

I am not surprised that ancient natural remedies are effective, especially garlic, which is an all-around good anti-fungal and anti-bacterial substance. I would, however, be interested in this AncientBiotics Team testing out some other cures from Bald's Leechbook, such as this one. (Siome of the other cures seem quite eccentric)

The remedy for shingles comprised a potion using the bark of 15 trees: aspen, apple, maple, elder, willow, sallow, myrtle, wych-elm, oak, blackthorn, birch, olive, dogwood, ash, and quickbeam.[7]

en.wikipedia.org...