Buddha praised health as the greatest of all gifts.
It was Buddha who said, "health is the greatest gift." Medicine has been an evolving science since the days of the Ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Chinese. In addition to curing physical ailments, ancient remedies were also created to ease mental distress. Cures were sometimes applied directly to the body or were ingested.
Ancient Greeks
The Greeks regularly chewed mint after meals to avoid a sour stomach.
According to the website Home Remedies for You, the word migraine originates from the ancient Greek word "hemikrania." Part of the word "hemikrania" stems from the word "hemi", which means "skull" and "crania" that translates to "half." To treat such intense headaches, the Greeks used mint in the form of aromatherapy. Mint was also chewed after meals to prevent the stomach from becoming unsettled. Wine, a symbol of the god Dionysus, was used to disinfect wounds. When ingested, it was thought to chase away sadness and melancholy. The Greeks also relied on herbal teas. They drank lemon verbena tea to aid digestion and make the skin smooth and less porous.
Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, marigolds cooled fevers.
In ancient Rome, medicine was a mixture of symbolism and application. After a plague in 295 B.C. swept through the land, the Romans built a temple to Ascelpius on Tiber island, according to the University of Virginia Health System. Ascelpius was the Greek god of healing. Soon after its construction, the plague was gone. Romans also believed wool had healing powers. After dabbing wool in fat and rue (an evergreen shrub), they would apply it to bruises to ease the swelling. To keep wounds from becoming inflamed, physicians used yarrow. Marigolds were thought to cool a fever.
Ancient Egypt
Because of their concentric circles, Egyptians thought onions represented eternal life, and highly valued them.
One of the oldest medical documents is Egypt's Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus that was written during the Intermediate period in 1600 B.C. It lists many Egyptian remedies. For example, honey was applied to infected areas and was also used as a balm for rashes and irritated skin. Coriander seeds, which have been discovered in tombs, were used to alleviate headaches. Egyptians rubbed coriander oil on sore muscles to ease aches and pains. Because of its circular shape and layers, the Egyptians thought that the onion represented immortality. For that reason, they ate onion to help the heart and prevent strokes.
Ancient China
In ancient China, people drank liquorice teas to get over colds.
As Alexandra Arkin points out in her article "Ancient Chinese Herbal Remedies Can Treat Modern Diseases" published on Get Healthy, the Chinese historically sipped healing herbal teas. Liquorice teas were drunk to help a person recover from a cold; chrysanthemum tea was used to strengthen vision and ginger tea was sipped to ease an irritable stomach. Herbs were also used. It was believed that ginseng gave the body vitality and energy. Sailors chewed ginger root to not become sick at sea. Cinnabar was used to help a person sleep.
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