Hangover Remedy Discovered in Ancient Greek Texts

Hiding a hangover in ancient Egypt would've taken some work. Rather than popping an ibuprofen for a pounding drunken headache, people in Egypt may have worn a leafy necklace.

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The plant is called Alexandrian chamaedaphne (Ruscus racemosus L.), and was worn around the neck by stringing together leaves of the bush. I found the method funny as it would easily identify them as over indulging from the night before.

The treatment was discovered as part of an ongoing effort to translate the Oxyrhynchus papyrus - more than 500,000 documents found at the ancient Egyptian town of Oxyrhynchus, about 100 miles south of Cairo.

Oxyrhynchus is considered one of the most important archeological sites in Egypt. We have uncovered a huge collections of papyrus texts from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.

Archaeologists have discovered tax returns, census material, receipts, letters about religion, politics, military action and diaries, giving them a thorough picture of everyday life.

The painstaking process of matching fragments of paper has been ongoing for over a century. Inhabitants of the city would dump their garbage at nearby sand hills which would one day provide us with a glimpse into the past.


Above: This papyrus is an example of texts found at the site and features Euclid's Elements of Geometry

The hangover treatment was one of 24 new medical texts that are the latest to be translated - the 101st volume of translations to be published.

In the largest single collection of medical papyri to date, researchers also found eleven versions of known medical texts by Galen and Hippocrates and four documents that appear to be doctor's notes. It would interesting to know how these medical procedures evolved over time.

Around 10 per cent of the papyri have been found to be literary and many are private documents, codes, registers, official correspondence, tax records, bills, leases, horoscopes and inventories.

The newly translated texts also included recipes for stopping the spread of ulcers, treating hemorrhoids, toothaches, gangrene and a dozen other suggestions for treating eye conditions.


Above: The longest medical papyrus ever found is the Papyrus Ebers. It contains more than 800 treatments for eye problems to digestive disorders

The source of the papyrus is unknown, but it was said to have been found between the legs of a mummy in the Theban necropolis. One thing for sure is that time and energy are the only things slowing us down from learning more about our ancestors.

The texts described ways to treat intestinal worms, having the physician cook the cores of dates along and a desert plant called colocynth together in order to make a sweet beer that had to be drank for four days.

One recipe for treating a discharge of mucus from the eyes called rheum, uses a mixture of copper flakes, antimony oxide, white lead, washed lead dross, starch, dried roses, rain water, gum Arabic, poppy juice and a plant called Celtic spikenard.

For asthma, there was a mixture of herbs to be heated on a brick so the person could inhale the fumes. If that wasn't enough they were even practicing contraception by smearing a paste of dates, acacia and honey onto wool and applying it as a pessary. Just like warm apple pie, lol.


This truly is a case of one man's rubbish is another man's treasure. I can't wait to see what else they publish in the future. Stay tuned...

They really had a fondness for using lead back in those days ... It's a wonder you don't find more cases of lead poisoning in mummies.

originally posted by: ketsuko
They really had a fondness for using lead back in those days ... It's a wonder you don't find more cases of lead poisoning in mummies.

This is an interesting read on the subject...

Clearly, ancient Egyptians didn't get the memo about lead poisoning. Their eye makeup was full of the stuff. Although today we know that lead can cause brain damage and miscarriages, the Egyptians believed that lead-based cosmetics protected against eye diseases. Now, new research suggests that they may have been on to something.

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Egyptians used two forms of lead that are not found in nature which gave researchers the impression that it was synthesized. After replicating a lead salt used during the period, they applied it to the skin for testing.

The lead compound would stress the cells and cause them to make hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide, and other compounds involved in the body's immune response. It may have provided a short-term health benefit while killing them slowly in the long run. Not many made it past their 30's.

a reply to: eisegesis

Or like so many other things, in one form it's terribly toxic, but in another it isn't nearly as bad, and the amount you are exposed to and how you are exposed to it also matter.

a reply to: eisegesis

I don't think they drank as much as I do.

It is used to make a person sweat. Sweating out the acetylaldehyde would help to relieve a hangover.

Two questions.

1. How effective is this cure?

2. Where can I get some?

originally posted by: rickymouse
It is used to make a person sweat. Sweating out the acetylaldehyde would help to relieve a hangover.

Correct.

The grayanotoxin in the laurel is known to cause severe sweating.

I would imagine that they used this frequently enough that wearing one wasn't really even looked at. The use of various beers/wines in ancient man is well known. Beers, in particular, were believed to deliver tetracycline antibiotic to those who drank it.

But what they drank, and what we drink....two totally different things. Our beverages are highly purified, and have a stable alcohol content. The Egyptians (and others)...not so much. If you buy a bottle of wine today, it has had sulfites added to stop the fermentation and hold alcohol content steady. Without the sulfites, it would continue to ferment.

I can't imagine what Egyptian beer would have tasted like, sitting in the open air in a barrel collecting whatever flora drifted into it. Slowly fermenting and getting stronger and stronger. Not to mention the evaporation.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

I had two Italian neighbors twenty years ago who would order grapes from California to make wine. They aged it about a year total. A five ounce juice glass of that stuff and you were blasted. I wound up going home to sleep after visiting them more than once. I'd swear it was stronger than Yukon Jack straight up.

My wife also got hammered off that little five ounce glass more than once. I doubt if anyone could handle more than three of them. I never had more than two glasses at a sitting, I wouldn't have been able to walk. They were really good people, I miss them.

originally posted by: rickymouse
a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

I had two Italian neighbors twenty years ago who would order grapes from California to make wine. They aged it about a year total. A five ounce juice glass of that stuff and you were blasted. I wound up going home to sleep after visiting them more than once. I'd swear it was stronger than Yukon Jack straight up.

My wife also got hammered off that little five ounce glass more than once. I doubt if anyone could handle more than three of them. I never had more than two glasses at a sitting, I wouldn't have been able to walk. They were really good people, I miss them.

I know what winery that was, they had their own brand that wasn't very good
So, they started selling the raw crush, until they ran afoul of ATF.
What was happening was, the trucks were getting to their unload in NYC, with only 2/3 of the barrels they left with. It was a case of " it fell off the truck".
And they were pre-fermenting the crush, that's why your neighbors wine was so strong , it was already well on its way to being wine when they started.
They took a plea deal and lost the vineyards, but kept the winery, except they can only crush and immediately ship to local wineries.