Ancient Medicine from The Mediterranean & Middle East
“Foolish the doctor who despises knowledge acquired by the ancients.” – Hippocrates
The ancients did not have the conveniences and luxuries afforded by modern medicine, but what they did have was the wisdom to look for effective cures in nature. They knew that they did not know everything and this is a big part of their wisdom; they acknowledged that nature had a lot to offer, that nature – through its billions of years of evolution – “knows” more about the best ways toward healing and staying healthy.
Thousands of years before modern medicine started synthetically creating drugs that mimic health-giving and medicinal compounds found in nature, the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Persians had been deriving cures from their natural environment.
Living in harmony with nature was always a big part of staying healthy in the ancient Mediterranean region, particularly in Greece, Rome, and Persia. Ancient physicians/healers closely studied and heavily relied on nature to learn about the healing properties of different plants. Thousands of years before modern medicine started synthetically creating drugs that mimic health-giving and medicinal compounds found in nature, the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Persians had been deriving cures from their natural environment.
Because these ancients knew that man was a product of nature and firmly believed that he is inextricably intertwined with it, they also knew that living in harmony with nature promoted good health and that disharmony caused diseases. It naturally followed that using the healing powers of nature to address health issues was the best way to restore man’s harmony with his natural environment.
The Classical Greeks
“Herbal medicine amongst humans first evolved as an imitation of this universal healing practice of the animal kingdom.” ( Source: greekmedicine.net )
Ancient cultures, such as that of Greece, developed their own traditional systems of herbal healing principles and practices based on their knowledge of their surroundings. Because of their huge contributions to the history of medicine, the ancient Greeks are widely considered as the founders of modern/Western medicine.
One of the central concepts of classical Greek medicine is reflected in one of Hippocrates’s most popular sayings, “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food,” which embraces their holistic approach to health and healing. For the Greeks, “the higher the tonic or nutritive value of the herb or medicine, the more highly it is valued.” ( Source: greekmedicine.net )
A person’s well-being is directly influenced by the food he eats, the kind of activities he engages in, the time of the year, the location of his home, and all the other things that are part of his daily life. All these are carefully considered by Greek physicians when making a diagnosis. It is not just the body’s condition that is analyzed, but how the body also reacts to its environment.
Likewise, treatment of any ailment also addresses the relationship between the person and his environment and the person’s whole way of life. Ancient Greek physicians sought to understand the “why” behind a person’s ailment in order to formulate a plan of treatment.
Classical Greek medicine analyzes the natures and properties of medicinal plants based on the Four Basic Qualities inherent in nature: Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry. When treating an ailment and to bring the body back into balance, Greek physicians chose medicinal herbs that contrast with or complement the disorder. For example, eliminative herbs are used when the nature of the disorder is determined as “excessive,” and tonic herbs are used when the disorder is caused by a “deficiency.” The goal is always to restore health and wholeness.
The Greek system of herbal healing also involves the use of plants based on their affinities for the different parts of the body. There are specific healing herbs for the heart, liver, the digestive system, the head, and every other part of the body.
According to the same resource previously mentioned, “The basic formula or method of herbal treatment in Greek Medicine is this: Use herbs that are contrary or complementary to the nature of the disorder in kind, yet equal to the imbalance by degree; let them also have an affinity for, or pertain to, the part being treated.”
Perhaps the greatest contribution of classical Greek medicine to modern medicine are the teachings and discoveries of Hippocrates. According to an article on Ancient Greek Medicine published on MedicalNewsToday.com, it was Hippocrates that first coined the following medical terms: acute; chronic; endemic; epidemic; convalescence; crisis; exacerbation; paroxysm; peak; relapse; and resolution. Some ancient Greek herbal remedies mentioned in Hippocratic books are:
- For chest diseases – barley soup, plus vinegar and honey, which would bring up phlegm.
- For pain in the side – dip a large soft sponge in water and apply gently. If the pain has reached the collar bone, then bleeding near the elbow is recommended until the blood flows bright red.
- For pneumonia – give the patient a bath, it relieves pain and helps him bring up phlegm. The patient must remain completely still in the bath.
When In Rome
“The Romans, unlike the Greeks and Egyptians, were strong believers in public health. They knew that hygiene was vital to prevent the spread of diseases.” ( Source: medicalnewstoday.com )
Ancient Roman medicine was greatly influenced by the Greeks. When Rome conquered Greece, their prisoners of war included Greek physicians who brought with them their system of medical practices, influencing Roman physicians and becoming employed in many Roman households. Soon after, Roman medical practices became a mixture of local practices and Greek medicine.
… the ancient Roman civilization was the very first to develop a public health system that benefited all its citizens …
But the ancient Romans eventually developed their own, unique system and, in their own right, they also made significant contributions to the history of medicine. From the very beginning, however, the promotion of public health had always been one of the core principles ancient Roman medicine.
This was closely connected to ancient Romans’ belief that there were natural causes behind illnesses and bad health; as a result, improving public health for all was always one of their top priorities. Indeed, the ancient Roman civilization was the very first to develop a public health system that benefited all its citizens – both the rich and the poor.
Providing clean water for everyone was a big part of the Roman public health system, especially because natural water sources in the region were unpalatable, polluted, and known to carry waterborne diseases. The solution came in the form of Rome’s famous aqueducts.
“The extraordinary greatness of the Roman Empire manifests itself above all in three things: the aqueducts, the paved roads, and the construction of the drains.” – Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities ( Source: wikipedia.org )
“Water is brought into the city through aqueducts in such quantities that it is like a river flowing through the city. Almost every house has cisterns and water pipes and fountains.” – Strabo, a Greek geographer ( Source: historylearningsite.co.uk )
In addition to the immense aqueduct system, the construction of public baths, toilets, and sewage systems also served the purpose of promoting hygiene and public health, and so did the enforcement of standards of maintenance and cleanliness for these infrastructures.
… Roman physicians also relied on herbal and natural remedies.
All of these efforts reflected the Romans’ understanding, millennia ago, of the still popular mantra that “prevention is better than cure,” and that good hygiene and a clean environment is good for health.
With regards to actual medical treatments, Roman physicians also relied on herbal and natural remedies. An article on MedicalNewsToday.com lists the most common of these remedies:
- Fennel – was widely used for people with nervous disorders. Romans believed fennel calmed the nerves.
- Unwashed wool – was used for sores
- Elecampane (horse heal) – was given to patients with digestive problems.
- Egg yolk – was given to patients with dysentery
- Sage – said to have had more religious value, and used by those who still believed that the gods could heal them.
- Garlic – doctors said garlic was good for the heart
- Boiled liver – was administered to patients with sore eyes
- Fenugreek – often administered to patients with lung diseases, especially pneumonia
- Silphium – was used as a form of contraceptive, as well as for fever, cough, indigestion, sore throat, aches and pains, warts. Nobody is sure what Silphium was; historians believe it is an extinct plant of the genus Ferula, possibly a variety of giant fennel.
- Willow – used as an antiseptic
One of the great Roman physicians of the time, Aulus Cornelius Celsus (c. 25 BCE – c. 50 CE), prescribed pills that he concocted himself, using various herbs, to treat common ailments. For example, he would create a mixture of saffron, myrrh, cinnamon, pepper, costmary, castoreum, galbanum, and poppy tears to treat patients with cough. For gout, his treatment of choice was “hot plasters of mallow root boiled in wine.”
He also believed that food can be categorized into “that which cooled the patient (e.g. lettuce, cucumber, cherries and vinegar) and that which provided heat (e.g. pepper, salt, onions and wine).” ( Source: ancient.eu )
The Great Middle East
Along with contemporary ancient Egyptian medicine, the Babylonians introduced the concepts of diagnosis, prognosis, physical examination, and medical prescriptions. ( Source: ancient.eu/medicine/ )
The Diagnostic Handbook is known to be the most extensive medical text that came from Babylonia, written by the physician Esagil-kin-apli of Borsippa. The book, which is one of the greatest contributions of Mesopotamian medicine to the world, “introduced the methods of therapy and etiology and the use of empiricism, logic and rationality in diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. The text contains a list of medical symptoms and often detailed empirical observations along with logical rules used in combining observed symptoms on the body of a patient with its diagnosis and prognosis.” (Ibid.)
… Diagnostic Handbook also provided logical analyses and assumptions for better diagnoses of diseases and to determine the proper course of treatment.
Superstitions still prevailed when it came to how diseases were acquired, and the ancient medical treatise often mentioned spirits, gods, and the like. But the Diagnostic Handbook also provided logical analyses and assumptions for better diagnoses of diseases and to determine the proper course of treatment. Therapy often involved the use of bandages, herbs, and creams.
The entries in the book are mostly organized from head to foot, and accurately described diseases in subsections that cover a wide range of systems and disorders, such as neurology, pediatrics, and gynecology, and venereal disease, skin lesions, fevers, and parasitic worms.
A healer (asu) and specialist in herbal remedies, referred to as a “physician” in the book, “dealt with empirical applications of medication. For example in case of wounds the asu applied washing, bandaging, and making plasters.” ( Source: iranchamber.com )
These ancient plasters were a mixture of medicinal ingredients and prepared in ways that actually made good, medical sense. “For instance, some of the more complicated plasters called for the heating of plant resin or animal fat with alkali. This particular mixture when heated yields soap which would have helped to ward off bacterial infection.” (Ibid.)
Commonly used herbal ingredients were derived from spices, plant extracts, and resins that, up to now, are known to have antibiotic and antiseptic properties.
Considering the Big Payoffs for Human Health
Millions of years of evolution have taught lower forms of animals not only to seek healing from Mother Nature, but also exactly where to look.
The animal kingdom is full of examples of seeking out healing plants. Dogs and cats eat grass when they feel ill. It has been recently observed that bees look for certain plants when under stress.
Throughout his evolutionary process, man has also learned not only to rely on nature for food but also for medicine. Indeed, natural healing practices were the norm throughout the majority of mankind’s history.
Our knowledge of the human body and human health and advances in medicine happened in huge leaps and bounds since Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 and changed the course of modern medicine. But the wisdom of ancient healing practices developed by the Greeks, Romans, and Persians remain relevant to this day – as many health, medical, and science experts are finally realizing – because what we don’t yet completely understand about nature’s medicinal powers is still staggering.
Taking a serious look at ancient medical systems can lead to amazing medical breakthroughs that could again alter the course of medicine as we know it now in a way that’s even bigger than when Fleming discovered penicillin.
Brushing aside a whole medical system of beliefs just because it is “ancient” would be a big and arrogant mistake.
The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Persians did not have all the answers, just as we still don’t know and understand all there is to know and understand about human health. Brushing aside a whole medical system of beliefs just because it is “ancient” would be a big and arrogant mistake. We still have much to learn and we are just starting to realize the genuine and unquantifiable potential of Mother Nature when it comes to medicine. Θ
