Medicines of the Plagues of Ancient Egypt: Plants & Weeds

I thought long and hard about where to post this topic on ATS and decided that I wanted the topic open to those with archeological knowledge about Egypt. I decided that those who frequent Ancient Civilizations topics would have the most knowledge to contribute to the topic.

I offer a challenge to ATS users: What were the medicines used during the Plagues of Egypt? What medicines did the Egyptians use? Did those medicines work? Or did those "medicines" harm the Egyptians or weaken their immune systems? What medicines did the Israelite slaves use? Did those medicines work or harm them?

For the sake of this topic, if you quote Biblical Scripture or if you quote the Torah, please tie it to the topic of "medicine" in Ancient Egypt or "medicine" of the Israelites.

BACKGROUND: MEDICINE IN THE BIBLE & TORAH

Both the Bible and the Torah use imagery of the serpent and the staff when speaking about the Plagues of Egypt. The serpent and the staff meant the same thing in ancient times as it does today: MEDICINE. The Bible and the Torah are a compilation of different stories each referring to "god" with different names. Sometimes they are the "Y" version, referring to "god" with the name of "Yahweh". Sometimes they are the "E" version, referring to a "god" or plural "gods" with the name "Elohim".

Elohim is actually plural. (WikiSource on Language) The singular name of the deity would be "El", which refers to a deity worshipped by different groups in the Middle East. The suffix "-im" refers to the plural. The story of Moses and the plagues of Egypt come from the Elohim stories. Elohim stories of the Bible usually involve serpent imagery. For the sake of the Plagues of Egypt, the original form of the stories was that "Elohim" with the serpent and rod, commanded that the Israelites do things to stay alive during the plagues.

In the book of numbers, Elohim told Moses to erect a bronze serpent on a pole to protect the Israelites. The serpent on the rod was called Nehushtan. The bronze serpent was later removed by King Hezekiah who censored all imagery of the serpent and the rod. Also serpent imagery was censored in the Dark Ages. The word "Elohim" in most modern Christian Bibles in English is translated into the word "Lord."

When serpent imagery was revived, it took on its original form = MEDICINE. And the symbol for the American Medical Association is a rod with serpents entertwined.

RIGHT BEFORE THE PLAGUES: PLANTS & WEEDS

In Exodus 5, right before the plagues, Moses and Aaron went to see the pharoah in an attempt to get him to free the slaves. The pharoah's response was that he told the Israelite slaves that they would not get any straw to make their bricks but they still had to complete their quota number of bricks.

This is important because when there is no straw for bricks, then it meant that the slaves had to use weeds to make their bricks. So all these Israelite slaves would have been gathering different types of weeds to make bricks, since the pharoah refused to give them straw.

Some of those weeds were edible to slaves. Some of those weeds may have been medicinal. The importance is that thousands of Israelite slaves are gathering all kinds of weeds, plants and grasses right before the plagues. And they may have been drying out these different plants prior to the plagues. What did they gather?

COMMENCEMENT OF THE PLAGUES: UNLEAVENED BREAD

At the commencement of the plagues, using imagery of the serpent and the staff (medicine), Elohim commanded that the Israelite slaves refrain from eating yeast or leavened breads. In modern times, the reason behind that has lost its meaning.

If you have dead frogs everywhere and biting flies, biting gnats and mosquitoes breeding in the dead frogs then the medicinal purpose of eating unleavened bread is as a repellant to insects. If you put a teaspoon of yeast in water and stick it by a window, the smell begins to attract flies and gnats. During the plagues, these biting flies and biting gnats would have spread diseases.

But if you are being careful about grains and water and you cook the bread, unleavened, quickly after mixed with water, then you reduce the number of biting flies and biting gnats surrounding your food and family.

Ancient Egyptians using yeast in their breads would have been surrounded by biting flies and biting gnats attracted to the yeast.

Now in modern times, during Passover, Jews use emmer wheat to make their unleavened bread. I'm not certain that this was the grain being used by Israelites slaves or how much emmer was allotted to the slaves. What is more probable is that slaves would have been given "lesser" grains and the emmer would have been reserved for middle and upper class Egyptians.

Lesser grains would have been barley, which had 1/3 of the value of emmer. Also Israelite slaves would have been required to pick out the einkorn from the emmer fields, as emmer was usually grown over the top of einkorn fields and einkorn was considered a "lesser grain". Also oats would have been considered a lesser grain, mainly for animal feed that would have been allotted to the slaves.

Medicinally, einkorn wheat would have been healthier than the emmer wheat reserved for middle and upper class Egyptians. Einkorn has a natural form of dopamine in the grain which leads to better motor control and higher senses.

Also reserved for the slaves would have been a plant called "cephalaria syriaca" which is a weed that grows in emmer wheat fields. The Israelite slaves working in the fields would have been required to remove cephalaria syriaca, the weed, which is purely edible and considered medicinal. There is an old Hebrew saying that the "zawan" (aka cephalaria syriaca) is better than the wheat. The oil from the plant is used in medicine.

BITTER HERBS THAT REPEL BITING FLIES, BITING GNATS, & MOSQUITOES

What were the bitter herbs that the Israelites ate during the plagues of Egypt? That's been a scholarly debate for thousands of years. Can you as an ATS subscriber contribute to this ancient debate?

In the Bible and the Torah, Elohim with imagery of serpent and staff--medicine, commanded the Israelites to eat bitter herbs. Even though some of those herbs have names, the debate is what modern day plants do those names refer to? Many European Jews have lost those herbs as they do not grown in Europe, but only grow in Egypt and the middle east. They have to be plants that grow in Egyptian sands, Egyptian lands.

Dandelion greens: Seen as a weed, but plentiful to slaves. The leaves are a repellant to insects. As a medicine, dandelion greens are rich in vitamin B12 and it is rare to find foods high in B12.

Coriander/Cilantro: Cilantro is the leaves from the coriander plant. The leaves are considered a natural insect repellant from the mint family. Both coriander and cilantro have many medicinal uses among vast civilizations.

Marjoram: Marjoram was another herb growing in Egypt that is an insect repellant. What's uncertain is how much they grew and the availability to the slave population.

Horseradish: Another insect repellant, horseradish is an herb that humans sweat out through their skin. It would have been readily available as a root to the slaves of Egypt.

Horehound: A weed that repels insects that may have been cultivated by the slaves when they were denied their straw for bricks. But I'm uncertain how much would have grown wild in Ancient Egypt.

Wormwood: Another insect repellant growing in Egypt, but uncertain of the availability to slaves.

Hawkweed: Would have grown in the Egyptian sands, and Israelite slaves may have gathered it when they were denied straw for bricks. Also an insect repellant.

Mint: Mint is another insect repellant that would have grown in ancient Egypt. But I am uncertain how much mint would have been allotted to the slave populations.

AFTER THE LOCUSTS: NO GREEN PLANTS, THEN WHAT?

After the plague of locusts, when locusts eat everything green, then what could the Israelites used a medicine? They had already been drying out different weeds to use to make bricks when denied their straw, would the locusts have avoided the dried weeds?

When locusts eat everything green, all that is left is the roots of the plants. At which point, the Israelite slaves would have been forced to eating the following roots:

Onions: Revered as medicine in Egypt, onions were used in mummification and given to mummies as gifts.

Garlic: Garlic is used in many medicinal tonics across different cultures.

Radishes: Most don't generally think of radishes as medicines, except horseradish.

Raphanus: Raphunus is a wild growing radish in Egypt that tastes like a turnip. I'm uncertain of its medicinal value if any.

Leeks: While locusts may have eaten the green stems and leaves of leeks, they would have left the bulb/root.

Also Israelite slaves may have eaten dried beans or dried beans ground into flour. I know that Medieval rabbis in Europe banned eating legumes during Passover, with no reason given, but they may have been out of touch with the Ancient Egyptian climate. Beans-Legumes would have been dried out for storage in the Egyptian sun. And locusts don't generally try to eat hardened dried beans. Beans would have been a staple "slave food". Some dried beans are ground into flour to make breads or as an additive to emmer or einkorn when slaves did not have enough wheat.

Chickpea: Dried chickpeas or garbanzos are ground into flour. They are extremely high in protein and if the chickpea flour is cooked immediately, there is no leaven and no fermentation.

Fava Bean: Dried fava beans turn yellow and are ground into flour. Fava beans are a source of lutein and a natural source of dopamine, great for motor control and heightened senses.

When all else fails, if the locusts eat all the green plants, then people are forced to eat the locusts. Locusts are considered a "kosher" food in the Bible and the Torah. Except they are the Egyptian and Middle East breeds of locusts: red locust, yellow locust, white locust and the black locust.

What's uncertain is if there is any medicinal value to locusts. They are said to be a good source of protein, but most people don't eat them nowadays and I've only heard of one restaurant in Israel that serves them, deep fried. Some people say locusts taste like bacon. Others say that locusts taste like shrimp.

How would the Israelite slaves have prepared their locusts? There were no deep fryers in ancient Egypt. Did they grind them up into a spread on their flat unleavened bread? Did they mix them with some olive oil and herbs into a pesto to spread over the top of their unleavened bread? Did they dry out the locusts in the Egyptian sun and grind them into a flour to mix with what little wheat they had left?

EGYPTIAN MEDICINES

The medicines that the Egyptians used during the plagues may have increased the number of people who died. They may also have caused weakened immune systems. Did any of the plants they use work?

ammi majus: grows as a weed in modern Egypt in wheat and barley fields. The fruits from the plant used in medicine by ancient Egyptians to treat leucoderma, skin conditions. But it has toxic effects that can lead to dermatitis.

citrullus colocynthis: plants commonly growns in sandy places in Egypt. Ancient Egyptians used it to treat arthritis, asthma, tumors and ulcers. It is toxic and causes hemorrhaging in mice.

glycyrrhiza glabra: grows in Egyptian oases and was used for coughs and respiratory problems. It is a form of licorice and has to be used in moderation, limited.

plantago lanceolata: It is rare and grows along side roads around Cairo. It is an endangered species. It was used in Ancient Egypt to heal wounds to make ointments. Not sure if it works.

plantago ovata: Grows in Egyptian sands. Used to treat boils, ulcers, and as a cosmetic for hair.

silybum marianum: Grows along canal banks in Egypt. It was used to treat malaria, as a tonic, and to treat liver disorders.

urginea maritima: Used in ancient Egypt to treat wounds, tumors, pneumonia and bronchitis. But it is poisonous, toxic.

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What plant, weed, and medicine information on ancient Egypt can you contribute?

a reply to: MapMistress

Regarding the serpent on the rod Nehushtan, in Arabic the word for satan or devil is Shaaytan. They sound a bit similar.

I studied quite a bit on the ancient medicines. Some of our present medicines are based off of this old knowledge, from various cultures around the world.

There are some things in the bible that could be used as medicines, but nothing I can think about would protect them from the plague. There would have been treatments once they got it though. There was a lot of knowledge of natural medicines back then, India traded with the Romans too, the Romans never killed off the India people, with their spots on their foreheads because it could jeopardize the medical herbs and spices coming from there.

The morning dew contains medicine that could be used to fight diseases, but which diseases I do not know. Manna from heaven possibly. Ammonium nitrate. plus a rich variety of plant defense chemistry. Always pick your herbs right after the dew dries in the morning. In that area, dew probably did not form all that often.

From Genesis. Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to scratch the earth and curse the thistles and thorns. Both those are really good medicines, I bet they cursed having to pick the medicines which they did not need before they ate the forbidden fruit.

Wheat contains opioid peptides, it was used to dope up the common people to passify them just like is done in the USA and most countries. I kind of like the buzz myself.

The staff was the single serpent, the staff of Apollo, not the staff of Hermes the trickster that we use here in the USA for a representation of medicine. The properties of aspirin were known well back then, aspirin was not recently invented, it is a product of many trees....not just the willow. Birch and poplar leaves are good sources to derive a medicinal tea or water for this purpose.

Remember, the bible and Koran are not the only sources of medicines of those days, other sources survived also. There was a lot of trading going on those days, honey was both natural and traded and was a known cure back then for many diseases. They did not have scientific names for the chemistry, they just knew what to use to treat a lot of diseases. There were also antibiotics those days in some areas. They cultured them from microbes, I think tetracycaline is the one they were making in the middle east back those days, the first antibiotic they had evidence of. Also the cheeses had mold with antibiotic properties back then.

I can go on and on for a long time on this, you did do a pretty good job of finding some of this stuff. They weren't dumb back those days, they taught their young how to treat diseases, women were usually in charge of that knowledge, that would have come under the wisdom of Sofia or Sana

originally posted by: MapMistress
Einkorn has a natural form of dopamine in the grain which leads to better motor control and higher senses.

WTF? I am quite fascinated by the subject of the effects of foods and herbals on the neurotransmitters that modern psychiatry claims they are adjusting with their mood drugs...to the point where despite being biologically male I intermittently take what modern herbalism considers a female menstrual herb (vitex, formerly known as chasteberry...the old name is a clue in itself) because I found out it contains a Dopamine D2 receptor agonist (as well as a rich array of other chemicals that have a general tonic effect on the nervous system and hormone production) and it has a clear and potent effect on my motivation and enjoyment of life. So I thought I knew everything that could possibly have a direct effect on dopamine and yet somehow I have never heard this one before. Must do more research now! Thank you!!

a reply to: MapMistress

Frankensense - used for ulcers, hypertension, nausea, fever, indigestion, chest coughs anjd post childbirth recovery. It was also burned as a repellent against mosquitoes etc and was used against malaria etc.

Myrrh - oleoresin used as an anti-septic for dressing wounds, sore throats, inflammation.

originally posted by: rickymouse

The staff was the single serpent, the staff of Apollo, not the staff of Hermes the trickster that we use here in the USA for a representation of medicine. The properties of aspirin were known well back then, aspirin was not recently invented, it is a product of many trees....not just the willow. Birch and poplar leaves are good sources to derive a medicinal tea or water for this purpose.

Remember, the bible and Koran are not the only sources of medicines of those days, other sources survived also.

Actually, the Bible wasn't even written at all when the Israelites were slaves in Ancient Egypt. The 10 Commandments weren't written yet either. The Koran not written until over a thousand years later.

I guess the point I was trying to make by stressing the original word in the Torah was Elohim, which is plural, not singular, is that the sepent imagery for medicine ties to some older religions that predate Judaism.

There were many different ancient civilizations that had serpent idols. Serpents being poisonous and those who study poisons also study medicines and cures. Some of those ancient serpent cults had priestesses, some only male priests and some had both genders.

Elohim is plural, which in origin of the word could have literally meant priests and priestesses of this older serpent medicine cult that predated Judaism. Later the plural word got given a singular meaning. Then the serpent imagery was censored by later kings of Israel.

a reply to: elliotmtl

Both einkorn wheat and fava beans which grew in ancient Egypt were natural sources of dopamine. Good news for those with Parkinsons who are losing their dopamine-producing neurotransmitters and they can replenish it with those two foods to get some of their motor control back.

a reply to: Shiloh7

Thanks. I forgot about the frankensense. They also had mandrake in ancient Egypt.

That reminded me of what I forgot to post:

THE FINAL PLAGUE

The previous plagues encompassed biting flies and biting gnats spreading diseases. Then animals started dying most likely from Foot and Hoove Disease. But the final plague was death in every household.

Elohim with serpent imagery commanded the slaves to slaughter a lamb and mix the lamb's blood with a substance called ezov and paint the blood over their front door to protect them.

What was ezov? What plant?

Christians translated the word into hyssop, which doesn't make any sense. Some Jews believe that ezov was some form of Syrian mint. That doesn't make sense either.

If you are painting lamb's blood over a door, it will attract biting flies, biting gnats and mosquitoes which spread disease.

So this substance ezov, either had to kill the insects who landed on the bloody doors or it was a sticky substance turning the lambs blood into a giant sticky-trap.

What plant in ancient Egypt was ezov?

Well, the Exodus never happened... so you will have to set up a time frame.

Fortunately, there's actually a record of what the Egyptians used, written in their medical papyri. This is a fairly comprehensive list and I think it's current (but wouldn't swear to this.)

Here's a PDF that includes one of them - they used cows' milk, beer, incense (fumigating), carob beans (plus spells.)

They did not use scientific names but rather local names, and it's possible that there's been some confusion about which plant was meant.

originally posted by: MapMistress
Horehound: A weed that repels insects that may have been cultivated by the slaves when they were denied their straw for bricks. But I'm uncertain how much would have grown wild in Ancient Egypt.

Wormwood: Another insect repellant growing in Egypt, but uncertain of the availability to slaves.

There were no Hebrew slaves in Egypt until the time of the Greeks (around 300 BC)

EGYPTIAN MEDICINES

The medicines that the Egyptians used during the plagues may have increased the number of people who died.

There aren't any plagues (or mass graves) from that time period.

originally posted by: Byrd
Well, the Exodus never happened... so you will have to set up a time frame.

while i have some strong google fu, if you have a preferred source for some interesting reading on this sentence, im down.

originally posted by: MapMistress
What plant in ancient Egypt was ezov?

Just looking at the wikipedia page, it suggests a connection with a group of herbs including oregano, majoram and thyme. In the context you're applying, that would make better sense than hyssop given their volatile oils which have fungicidal and anti-bacterial properties.

In the Bible, ezov is described as a small plant found on or near walls,[2] with an aromatic odour.[3][4] Maimonides, Saadia Gaon and earlier Jewish commentators identified ezov with za'atar, which may refer to various local herbs, including marjoram, oregano and thyme, which have aromatic and cleansing properties, grow wild in Israel, and can easily be bunched together to be used for sprinkling.[4]

en.wikipedia.org...

Since it's the oil that they want to activate though, I don't think "sprinkling" would be that effective, other than as a fly repellent pot pourri.

Nice thread, thanks, but I second Byrd's comment, the papyri are a mine of information, well worth a look.

originally posted by: MapMistress
Onions: Revered as medicine in Egypt, onions were used in mummification and given to mummies as gifts.

Garlic: Garlic is used in many medicinal tonics across different cultures.

Weren't onions and garlic the base diet? If so, it would be safe to assume that the average Joe had a reasonably good good immune response, wouldn't it?

a reply to: MapMistress

How would the Israelite slaves have prepared their locusts?

I'd imagine they were prepared and cooked in a similar way to how modern special forces prepare and cook earthworms and grubs to make them more palatable (other than just woofing them down of course).

They are dried first, special forces way is to place them on a hot stone surrounding a firepit / fireplace, until very dry, then grind them into a fine powder, and use this worm powder to add to water and root veg to make soups and stews etc.

Very high in protein.

I would have thought the slaves would have done a similar thing with the locusts, except they probably dried them out in the hot sun before grinding them to a powder for soups etc.

As for medicinal plants, don't overlook Cannabis. It was in Egypt and could have been a commonplace medicial herb and foodsource.

Many of these ancient medicines are the basis for many modern medicines. They just learned what chemicals they contained that treated the diseases and extracted them or steer bacteria or fungus to create these chemistries to poison half of us and we have been conditioned to believe we are healthier now than our forefathers even though we are constantly poisoned by chemistry added to foods to take away our strength. Most of those chemistries are calming chemistries, ones that do the job and make us stronger and alert are not used much.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan

originally posted by: Byrd
Well, the Exodus never happened... so you will have to set up a time frame.

while i have some strong google fu, if you have a preferred source for some interesting reading on this sentence, im down.

Not a prime source but thousands of sources. You can start with Wikipedia, if you like.

originally posted by: MysterX
a reply to: MapMistress

How would the Israelite slaves have prepared their locusts?

I'd imagine they were prepared and cooked in a similar way to how modern special forces prepare and cook earthworms and grubs to make them more palatable (other than just woofing them down of course).

Actually, they were roasted and eaten immediately. www.fao.org...

I would have thought the slaves would have done a similar thing with the locusts, except they probably dried them out in the hot sun before grinding them to a powder for soups etc.

No Hebrew slaves in Egypt at that time. There were Hebrew slaves in Ptolemaic times but not much before that.

As for medicinal plants, don't overlook Cannabis. It was in Egypt and could have been a commonplace medicial herb and foodsource.

Actually, it wasn't in Egypt. The "cannabis mummies" were unwrapped at Victorian parties where people consumed a lot of drugs for entertainment, including cannabis. It was a contaminant, not anything used by the Egyptians.

originally posted by: Anaana

originally posted by: MapMistress
What plant in ancient Egypt was ezov?

In the Bible, ezov is described as a small plant found on or near walls,[2] with an aromatic odour.[3][4] Maimonides, Saadia Gaon and earlier Jewish commentators identified ezov with za'atar, which may refer to various local herbs, including marjoram, oregano and thyme, which have aromatic and cleansing properties, grow wild in Israel, and can easily be bunched together to be used for sprinkling.[4]

en.wikipedia.org...

Since it's the oil that they want to activate though, I don't think "sprinkling" would be that effective, other than as a fly repellent pot pourri.

I read that. But I'm not sure that the right answer. Ezov was something used in animal sacrifice to cleanse the blood of the animal before it was placed on an altar.

I guess why i don't think it was a plant from the mint family like marjoram, is that I don't see how that could cleanse the blood.

Maybe there's something about the oil extraction process that would make it stronger.

Realistically, if you put lamb's blood on a door in the middle of plagues, then the door covered in blood would be covered with biting flies, biting gnats amd mosquitoes-- insects spreading the diseases.

The final plague was some sort of "sleeping sickness" which could have been biting flies or mosquitoes.

The plant oil from this ezov plant had to be something stronger than some mere mint oil. Had to be stronger than something antibacterial. Something stronger than a mere anti-fungal.

It had to be strong enough to kill every mosquito and kill every biting fly that landed in the blood-ezov mixture on the doors.

originally posted by: Byrd


No Hebrew slaves in Egypt at that time. There were Hebrew slaves in Ptolemaic times but not much before that.

I thank you for your info on locusts and cannabis.

But Byrd, that's a terribly anti-Semite statement. The idea that there were no slaves in Egypt either comes from hippies out of touch with reality or comes from the present Muslim government of Egypt, who is anti-Jewish.

It's a racist statement to tell all the Jews that they were never slaves. And I'm not willing to back the Muslim's in the modern Egyptian government who propogate that lie.

It's not that there are no mass graves for slaves in Egypt, because there are most definitely mass graves in Egypt. The Muslim government will never recognize that they are Jewish graves.

Besides, most of the copper mines that the slaves worked in had sea-side cities along the Suez gulf. Those cities lay underwater in the Suez at minus -12 meters to minus -35 meters below present sea level.

They drill oil now through those sunken slave cities, copper miners for the purpose of making bronze in the bronze age. I would think Egyptian bronze and copper artifacts would be worth more money, but the oil companies drilling there don't care.

a reply to: MapMistress

It's a racist statement to tell all the Jews that they were never slaves.

Is there a Jewish race?

In any case Byrd did not say that there were no Hebrew slaves, did she?