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Historians recently unearthed some “health hacks” dating back to the Middle Ages v and some sound like they came straight off TikTok.
The database, called the Corpus of Early Medieval Latin Medicine, offers a wealth of information about how people in the so-called “Dark Ages” viewed health, science and medicine. It was announced by Binghamton University in July.
Meg Leja, an associate professor at the university, told Fox News Digital that she helped catalog hundreds of medieval medical texts, particularly focusing on all surviving Latin manuscripts up to the year 1000.
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“This means that we covered most of Continental Europe, but not England, where many early medieval medical writings were in the vernacular (i.e., Old English),” she said.
“Because very few manuscripts survive from before the year 600, effectively our date range is 600 to 1000.”
Historians recently unearthed “health hacks” dating back to the Middle Ages. Some drinks were meant to purge mucus and “unwanted matter” from the body, much like juice cleanses today. (LTL/Heritage Images via Getty Images; iStock)
Some of the cures, researchers said, could fit into in modern wellness circles. Below are six examples they found.
1. The original juice cleanse
Historians repeatedly came across a 12-month detox plan that included drinking herbs like cinnamon, sage, ginger and fennel – one for every month.
The drinks were said to purge the body of buildup like mucus and “unwanted matter,” much like modern juice cleanses.
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2. A vinegar mask for glowing skin
Another recipe in the database recommended a vinegar remedy “so that your face is radiant.”
“Grind wheat flour with vinegar [and] put this on as a plaster mixed with oil,” the tip advises.
Medical care in the Middle Ages relied on hands, herbs and improvisation, according to ancient records. (Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
3. Barley water for digestion
Barley water occasionally pops up on TikTok as a “natural remedy” — and centuries before influencers promoted it, early medieval writers recommended its use.
According to a text written before 1000 A.D., a healer claimed that mixing barley with hot wine would aid digestion.
4. A cure involving dead vultures
Other hacks were not TikTok-like at all, featuring ingredients that are both unpleasant and difficult to obtain.
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One text written before 1250 swore by dead vultures being a one-size-fits-all cure for a myriad of health issues.
From birds to bottled brews, medieval healers had a cure for every ailment, however bizarre. (Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
“You capture a vulture and decapitate it with a reed while saying ‘Angel, Adonai Abraham, on your account the word is complete,’” the text advises.
The dead bird’s skull was said to prevent migraines, while its eyeballs “relieve pain of the eyes.” Tying the vulture’s feathers to a pregnant woman’s legs was also said to help speed up labor.
5. Hair help from lizards
One late 9th-century tip – found in a priest’s personal manuscript – suggested using green lizard ashes for fuller hair.
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“For flowing hair, cover the whole head with fresh summer savory and salt and vinegar,” the translated instructions read. “[Then] rub it with the ashes of a burnt green lizard, mixed with oil.”
6. The goat dung remedy
The most repulsive recipe, from an 11th-century text, offered the following tip for chest pain.
“You dissolve goat dung in water and, sieved, you give it to drink,” the tip advises. “It soon relieves the pain, however intensely it hurt.”
Expert’s perspective
J. Matthew Knight, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon, urged caution for those considering trying these cures.
The Florida-based medical expert told Fox News Digital that, while barley, cinnamon and fennel may offer minor digestive benefits, the idea of detoxing over 12 months isn’t backed by science.
“When it comes to TikTok trends, or medieval remedies, there is painfully little to no scientific basis for their use.”
Knight, the founder of the Knight Dermatology Institute, also noted that the vinegar facial mask “could lead to irritant contact dermatitis,” though vinegar has antibacterial effects.
As for the more extreme remedies – like using goat dung for chest pain – the doctor warned they are “unsanitary and dangerous,” and emphasized that anyone experiencing chest pain should go straight to the emergency room.
Some medieval cures called for exotic ingredients that are difficult to obtain today, such as vulture feathers. (Culture Club/Getty Images)
Though Knight said he appreciates the novelty of the list, they exist “somewhere between funny and completely ineffective.”
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“All of these schemes predate the microscope, germ theory of disease and modern medicine, and rely on the idea that maladies were due to spiritual imbalance, moral transgression or cosmic forces,” he told Fox News Digital. “Illness wasn’t seen as bacterial or viral, but as a disturbance in unseen forces, like ‘body humors.’”
“Unfortunately, when it comes to TikTok trends, or medieval remedies, there is painfully little to no scientific basis for their use.”
