Page 43 - All About History - Issue 186-19

Medieval MD

FEVER AND

UPSET STOMACH

Medieval Diagnosis:

Imbalanced Humours

Recommended Treatment:

Dragon’s Blood

If you have a fever or an upset stomach – or both
– then there are many medieval treatments that
can deal with them. Dragon’s blood, a sap from the
Dracaena draco tree that was native to Morocco and
the Canary Islands, was a popular medicine to drink.
Blood red in colour, dragon’s blood was prescribed
for fevers, upset stomachs and even pain and heavy
bleeding caused by menstruation. However, it was a
very expensive ingredient and only the wealthy could
afford it. Not to worry, though, another treatment for
fevers and stomach problems was bloodletting, which
restored balance to the humours.

SECOND OPINION
Just in case you can’t get your hands on dragon’s
blood or you want to avoid bloodletting, you can
always try one of the many medieval herbal remedies
that were prescribed for fevers and stomach
problems. Popular ingredients included galingale,
powdered ginger or mint mixed with either wine or
ale. Both ginger and mint tea are still recommended
today for settling an upset stomach, promoting
digestion and helping with a fever, so it seems that
not all medieval medicine was on the crazy side! © Alamy

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