One of my projects in college was to research some
traditional methods of preparation and perhaps compare and contrast them
to my more modern preparations.
To be honest, I didn't find that things are all that different. We still make infusions and decoctions. We still use poultices and ointments and have strange bottles of unidentifiable potions lying about. Some of us are still drying herbs on the rafters in our attic. It seems traditional methods of herbal preparation have been passed down the ages. If anything we are a little less adventuresome. In the 1500's, they made essential oils by distilling hydroethanolic extracts.
Some ingredients have gone out of fashion. I’ve yet to meet a modern-day herbalist who is using earth from a mole hill to cure rheumatism, but I am sure I might come across something similar, someday.
I came across was this old Gaelic proverb: “An rud nach leigheasann im ná uisce beatha níl aon leigheas air” which translates to “What butter or whiskey does not cure cannot be cured.”
This simple proverb may well sum up Gaelic healing philosophy. In fact, the statement holds true today. Irish American immigrants brought with them the folk medicine practices of “drinking hot whiskey with cloves and honey for coughs or colds and rubbing Vicks on the chest.” (Rapple, 2009)
Legend has it that traveling Irish monks learned of distillation from the Arabs and brought it back to Ireland as early as 1000 CE. This is actually pretty plausible given what genetics has taught us about Spanish settlement in Ireland. Remember that Spain was part of that which is a plausible time frame given what genetics
It was used exclusively by monastery apothecaries for medicinal purpose well into the Middle Ages and was probably a product of the distillation of barley beer. (McKeown, 2012)
There are no Gaelic documents referring to early methods of distillation. The first written documentation was reportedly written in the 12th century by an Anglo Saxon visitor upon his return home. The German physician Hieronymus Brunschwig's Liber de arte distillandi also mentions these monks briefly when detailing distillation methods and the medicinal uses of alcohol.(Brunschwig, 1512)
Uisce Beatha meaning “water of life” was the Irish Gaelic translation the aforementioned monks assigned to the Latin aqua vitae. (American Heritage Dictionary, n.d.) It is pronounced roughly "ish-ke-ba'ha" The Scottish Gaelic is uisge beatha.
It was reported to be “considered to be almost a panacea, given for a
variety of ailments but believed to be specific for smallpox.”
(Mitchell, n.d.) There has been some argument amongst historians if the
peasantry would have had access to distillation equipment. I believe the
answer to this lie in the long history of Irish hospitals established
to care for the poor.
According to the mythological cycles, “Queen Macha Mong Ruadh (who died 377 BC) established the first hospital in Ireland called Broin Bherg (the House of Sorrow) at Emain Macha” (Wilkinson, 2008) Subsequently Brehon law codes, such as the Senchus Mór, governed these forus tuaithe (territorial house) which were to provide to all classes “sick maintenance, including curative treatment, attendance allowance, and nourishing food.” (Ellis, 1995, p. 215) By the Middle Ages, many of these hospitals were associated with monasteries. (Wilkinson, 2008) The fact that these establishments existed leads me to believe that the peasantry would have had access to uisce beatha as a medicinal preparation.
Now
I shall turn my attention to the second panacea mentioned, butter. The
Gaelic obsession with dairy products would make me laugh, if it didn’t
rule my life. In fact, dairy products have been such a ubiquitous part
of the Gaelic diet that it may have influenced our genetics. A recent
geographical study published in the journal Nature, illustrated the
British Isles as one of the few places in the worlds where over 90% of
the adult population exhibit lactase persistence. (Curry, 2013, p. 21)
That is their bodies continue to produce the enzyme necessary to digest lactose into adulthood.
It makes sense then that many sources on traditional Gaelic healing document the use of butter in making ointments. Beith mentions many such preparations including two ointment the first ” St. John’s wort, germander speedwell and golden rod cut small and mixed in butter and grease” (Beith, 2004, p. 220) and the second in which “golden rod was mixed with all-heal and fresh butter” both of which were used to mend broken bones. (Beith, 2004, p. 221)
Folklore is full of reference to the use of ointments by healers. References can be found in the earliest myths. In the Tain bo Cuailgne a group of liaigh were said to accompany each army, each wearing a bag known as lés which carried the ointments that they would apply to injured soldiers at the end of the battle. (Ellis, 1995, p. 214) An old folk remedy for the plague involves invoking a charm three times and then “take butter, breathe on it quite close, and give to chafe himself therewith.” (Wilde, 1887, p. 85)
One of my favorite things about studying historical medicine is that I am usually able to take a widely used practice and find some science to validate it. After all even leeches have their place. In this case it seems likely they noticed that lipids (particularly saturated fats) enhance transdermal absorption of medicinal herbs.
Now granted today's science has found chemical agents which work better than oils but they are generally petroleum products which I prefer not to use. One can’t help but wonder what sort of trial-and-error process led the ancient folk healers to begin making their preparations with fats and oils.? Questions like these will likely never have an answer come to light, but I have a better understanding of why the original proverb became popular.
References
Beith, M. (2004). Healing Threads: Traditional Healing of the Highlands and the Islands. Edinburgh: Berlinn Limited.
Brunschwig, H. (1512). Liber de Arte Didstallandi. Retrieved from Turning the Pages Online: National Library of Medicine: http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/proj/ttp/flash/brunschwig/brunschwig.html
Curry, A. (2013). The Milk Generation. Nature, 20-22.
Ellis, P. B. (1995). The Druids. Grand Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
McKeown, M. (2012, May 25). History of Irish Whiskey. Retrieved from History of Ireland: http://hubpages.com/hub/History-Irish-Whiskey
Mitchell, R. (n.d.). Celtic Medicine in Scotland. Retrieved from Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/library-archives/celtic-medicine-scotland
Rapple, B. (2009, December). Irish americans. Retrieved from Countries and their Cultures: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Irish-Americans.html
Ratna Mehta, P. (2004, September). Topical and Transdermal Drug Delivery: What a Pharmacist Needs to Know. Retrieved from Archived Articles of INET Continuing Education: http://www.inetce.com/articles/pdf/221-146-04-054-H01.pdf
whiskey. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 24 2013 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/whiskey
Wilde, L. F. (1887). Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland Volume II. Boston: Tinker and Co. Retrieved from Sacred Texts: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ali/ali152.htm
Wilkinson, S. (2008, November). Early Medical Education in Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Migration Studies in Latin America: http://www.irlandeses.org/0811wilkinson2.htm
To be honest, I didn't find that things are all that different. We still make infusions and decoctions. We still use poultices and ointments and have strange bottles of unidentifiable potions lying about. Some of us are still drying herbs on the rafters in our attic. It seems traditional methods of herbal preparation have been passed down the ages. If anything we are a little less adventuresome. In the 1500's, they made essential oils by distilling hydroethanolic extracts.
Some ingredients have gone out of fashion. I’ve yet to meet a modern-day herbalist who is using earth from a mole hill to cure rheumatism, but I am sure I might come across something similar, someday.
I came across was this old Gaelic proverb: “An rud nach leigheasann im ná uisce beatha níl aon leigheas air” which translates to “What butter or whiskey does not cure cannot be cured.”
This simple proverb may well sum up Gaelic healing philosophy. In fact, the statement holds true today. Irish American immigrants brought with them the folk medicine practices of “drinking hot whiskey with cloves and honey for coughs or colds and rubbing Vicks on the chest.” (Rapple, 2009)
Legend has it that traveling Irish monks learned of distillation from the Arabs and brought it back to Ireland as early as 1000 CE. This is actually pretty plausible given what genetics has taught us about Spanish settlement in Ireland. Remember that Spain was part of that which is a plausible time frame given what genetics
It was used exclusively by monastery apothecaries for medicinal purpose well into the Middle Ages and was probably a product of the distillation of barley beer. (McKeown, 2012)
There are no Gaelic documents referring to early methods of distillation. The first written documentation was reportedly written in the 12th century by an Anglo Saxon visitor upon his return home. The German physician Hieronymus Brunschwig's Liber de arte distillandi also mentions these monks briefly when detailing distillation methods and the medicinal uses of alcohol.(Brunschwig, 1512)
 |
| Monks were primarily responsible for all manners of brewing and distilling in the early Medieval period. |
According to the mythological cycles, “Queen Macha Mong Ruadh (who died 377 BC) established the first hospital in Ireland called Broin Bherg (the House of Sorrow) at Emain Macha” (Wilkinson, 2008) Subsequently Brehon law codes, such as the Senchus Mór, governed these forus tuaithe (territorial house) which were to provide to all classes “sick maintenance, including curative treatment, attendance allowance, and nourishing food.” (Ellis, 1995, p. 215) By the Middle Ages, many of these hospitals were associated with monasteries. (Wilkinson, 2008) The fact that these establishments existed leads me to believe that the peasantry would have had access to uisce beatha as a medicinal preparation.
 |
| Source British Museum: Medieval Medicine |
It makes sense then that many sources on traditional Gaelic healing document the use of butter in making ointments. Beith mentions many such preparations including two ointment the first ” St. John’s wort, germander speedwell and golden rod cut small and mixed in butter and grease” (Beith, 2004, p. 220) and the second in which “golden rod was mixed with all-heal and fresh butter” both of which were used to mend broken bones. (Beith, 2004, p. 221)
Folklore is full of reference to the use of ointments by healers. References can be found in the earliest myths. In the Tain bo Cuailgne a group of liaigh were said to accompany each army, each wearing a bag known as lés which carried the ointments that they would apply to injured soldiers at the end of the battle. (Ellis, 1995, p. 214) An old folk remedy for the plague involves invoking a charm three times and then “take butter, breathe on it quite close, and give to chafe himself therewith.” (Wilde, 1887, p. 85)
One of my favorite things about studying historical medicine is that I am usually able to take a widely used practice and find some science to validate it. After all even leeches have their place. In this case it seems likely they noticed that lipids (particularly saturated fats) enhance transdermal absorption of medicinal herbs.
Now granted today's science has found chemical agents which work better than oils but they are generally petroleum products which I prefer not to use. One can’t help but wonder what sort of trial-and-error process led the ancient folk healers to begin making their preparations with fats and oils.? Questions like these will likely never have an answer come to light, but I have a better understanding of why the original proverb became popular.
References
Beith, M. (2004). Healing Threads: Traditional Healing of the Highlands and the Islands. Edinburgh: Berlinn Limited.
Brunschwig, H. (1512). Liber de Arte Didstallandi. Retrieved from Turning the Pages Online: National Library of Medicine: http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/proj/ttp/flash/brunschwig/brunschwig.html
Curry, A. (2013). The Milk Generation. Nature, 20-22.
Ellis, P. B. (1995). The Druids. Grand Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
McKeown, M. (2012, May 25). History of Irish Whiskey. Retrieved from History of Ireland: http://hubpages.com/hub/History-Irish-Whiskey
Mitchell, R. (n.d.). Celtic Medicine in Scotland. Retrieved from Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/library-archives/celtic-medicine-scotland
Rapple, B. (2009, December). Irish americans. Retrieved from Countries and their Cultures: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Irish-Americans.html
Ratna Mehta, P. (2004, September). Topical and Transdermal Drug Delivery: What a Pharmacist Needs to Know. Retrieved from Archived Articles of INET Continuing Education: http://www.inetce.com/articles/pdf/221-146-04-054-H01.pdf
whiskey. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 24 2013 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/whiskey
Wilde, L. F. (1887). Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland Volume II. Boston: Tinker and Co. Retrieved from Sacred Texts: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ali/ali152.htm
Wilkinson, S. (2008, November). Early Medical Education in Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Migration Studies in Latin America: http://www.irlandeses.org/0811wilkinson2.htm
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