What medicines were used to treat illnesses in the middle ages?

Answer 1

Some herbs used in the middle ages were basil, which was used for cooking, and tanacetum balsamita, which was used to keep moths and bugs away. Tanacetum balsamita was also used in ale. Mint was used to make mint vinegar, which people used as a mouthwash.

Answer 2

Same reason they are used today. Many herbs have healing properties and they can also be used to make foods taste better. Anything that made the food taste better in the middle ages was welcome. Most of the food was rotten by the time it was eaten or at least a little "gamey" tasting.

Answer 3

It would take a very large book to answer your question fully, since so many plants were used in so many different ways.

In general terms, the knowledge of medicinal plants had been continued into the medieval period from classical Rome and Greece by way of manuscripts, most of which have been lost (so they are only known from medieval copies). These became books known as herbals, written in Latin and accompanied by illustrations of each plant, a description of its flowers, roots and leaves and details of its medicinal properties. So medieval people did not understand how these treatments worked - they only knew that they did work in many cases because the "trial-and-error" process had been done long ago.

Herbal remedies could be applied as ointments (unguents), poultices, compresses, in drinks or in lozenge or tablet form, depending on the nature of the ailment.

For skin problems such as bruises, burns, scalds, sores, ulcers, sunburn, bites, stings, rashes and so on, an ointment of marigold petals was prepared using clarified fat. Marigold contains a healing chemical and is still used today for treating nappy rash. The petals (large quantities are required) were added to the hot fat and simmered gently; then the ointment was strained and put into pots to cool.

For sore throats, a gargle of sage water was commonly used. Sage gargle is still made commercially today.

For healing serious wounds, the fresh leaves of herbs such as St John's Wort, All Heal or woundwort, cumfrey, thyme and others were used in poultices or compresses applied to the wound and changed regularly. These all have antiseptic and healing properties.

For dog bites, leaves of the herb hound's tongue was considered most appropriate (its leaves have the texture of a dog's tongue). It also has mild antiseptic properties and could be an effective treatment.

Intestinal worms, headaches, stomach pains, heart problems and a wide range of ailments had their own specific herbal treatments. For women, the herb (Our) lady's mantle was not only effective treatment for menstrual problems, but it was one of the herbs closely associated with the Virgin Mary, so it was seen as extremely appropriate in treating women.

There were herbs for aborting unwanted pregnancies, herbs for treating baldness, herbs for washing the hair, herbs for scenting a room, herbs for adding to bathwater and many more applications.

The link below connects you with a 12th century English Herbal manuscript (Sloane 1975), written about 1180. Scroll down for images of the pages which include pictures of the herbs and descriptions (in Latin) of their medicinal uses.

Just a few herbs and their uses are:

fennel (eye diseases)

feverfew (treats migraines)

foxgloves (for dropsy)

horehound (for sore throats)

horseradish (treats fever, gout, stomach ailments)

lavender (for insect bites, stings and minor burns)

lemon balm (infusion to treat stress)

mint (for coughs, flu and stomach trouble)

oregano (for treating poisoning, cramps, dropsy)

sorrel (treats plague and other infections)

woodruff (treats wounds)

Answer 4

this is only a few but...they used rosemary, spearmint,anise,sage,cinnamon,rue, and lastly myrrh. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Really awful things were used. Urine, herbs, Mercury, leeches, bleeding were some of the things used.

Answer 6

They were used to make poultices with were used to make medicine