MedMae wrote:Alan H wrote:...ancient remedy
The usual nonsense [---][/---] it's old, therefore it must be good.
It's not always nonsense.
For example Feverfew is an old preventative treatment for migraines which is currently being research and is showing possibilities as a effective preventative treatment for migraines.
Efficacy and safty of feverfew.
Hmm I wonder if it's been tested for epilepsy.
There are plenty of examples of medicially useful plant, animal, fungal, etc. derived substances, some of which may have been noticed in the past, however the lack of systematic research in the past has led to the use of some truly bizarre remedies, that are probably more likely to kill the patient than cure the disease.
Even if there are some instances where ancient remedies can work, seperating the effective treatments from the nonsense requires systematic testing if they are to be relied on. Old does not equal good, but it may indicate areas for research.
I agree with Alan - there tends to be a nostalgic haze when we look back at the past, and for some reason many people assume "the ancients" knew more about the world than we do now. This is utter tosh - it's some kind of hangover from the formative thinking during the Renaissance, where there was a struggle to get systematic learning and knowledge back on track to Roman levels after derailment during the dark ages and the subsequent religious oppression of the Middle Ages. I think we've probably surpassed the Romans by now.