The Anglo-Saxons are German tribes that emigrated from northern Europe in the Middle Ages for the island of Great Britain. Their history spans seven, culture-rich centuries from the fifth century to the 12th century. During the reign of King Alfred in the latter half of the eighth century, he inspires learning and literacy like no other king before him. With this proliferation of learning births the Anglo-Saxon ancient healing practices known to us today, including antiseptic treatments, salves for skin irritations, and even contributions to healing from surgery.
Antiseptic Turned Potent(ial) Antibiotic | Anglo-Saxon Ancient Healing Practices
Today, we see antibiotic-resistant strains of bacterial and viral infections for many reasons; the most common problems are the over- and misuse of antibiotic drugs. The most prevalent of these is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospital settings, a type of established “biofilm” bacterial colony that can be dangerous to patients recovering from illness or surgery, and as its name implies is resistant to some of the most powerful forms of antibiotics we have synthesized today.
That didn’t stop The University of Nottingham from an interdisciplinary project (involving linguistics, history, and biology experts), aptly named Ancientbiotics, that took ethnopharmacology to a new level. (Ethnopharmacology is dedicated to the scientific study of substances used medicinally, especially folk remedies and ancient healing approaches by different ethnic groups.) Using a thousand-year-old, Anglo-Saxon ancient healing recipe, Bald’s eye salve (from Bald’s Leechbook), the Ancientbiotics team found that it was highly effective at killing these biofilm colonies in clinically significant quantities. Not only does Bald’s eye salve go beyond its stated use as an antiseptic, it has more varied demonstrated abilities that begs further studies.
Exhibiting a strong refrigerated shelf-life, the eye salve and its related recipes are a source of ample future research for the Ancientbiotics team.
Ancient Salve for Modern Skin Relief | Anglo-Saxon Ancient Healing Practices
What could sound like a witch’s brew to some, is a viable skin salve. In Lacnunga, an ancient medical text dating back to the 10th or 11th century, it speaks of a salve for flying venom. What is flying venom, you ask? Well, we aren’t quite sure. But, from context, it is commonly interpreted as highly-contagious skin infections that spread through unknown means in ancient Anglo-Saxon towns and villages.
To cure these infections, using the Anglo-Saxon herbalism traditions, a salve of hammer wort, maythe (chamomile), waybroad (plantain), and the root of water dock are prepared. As it turns out, each of these has anti-inflammatory properties for handling such skin irritations. “The four herbs in combination, therefore, are effective in relieving swelling and inflammation of rashes, sores, and ulcers while also relieving the pain of the patient, certainly making them a valuable cure for a variety of skin issues,” according to Indiana University researcher, Shirley Kinney, in her paper, “Anglo-Saxon Medicine: Cures or Catastrophe?”
Civilized Bloodletting for a Modern Era | Anglo-Saxon Ancient Healing Practices
Used since the age of the Ancient Greek healer, Hippocrates, bloodletting was a practice of calming the four humors (i.e., blood, black and yellow biles, and phlegm). Reducing the excess blood meant the body could regain equilibrium and heal. While this was a brutal practice and lead to a fair amount of unnecessary deaths, the practice refined over the ages, namely as an Anglo-Saxon ancient healing practice with leeches.
Leeches might be related to earthworms but differ in their thirst for blood. With the inclusion of leeches in Anglo-Saxon medicine, this meant that patients were drained of blood in a much safer and sterile fashion. Bloodletting with leeches during medieval times is a precursor to the mid-19th century advances in the practices throughout France and Europe.
In the last few years, bloodletting with leeches is being considered for its use in hospital recovery practices. The former practice has potential to aid patients healing from surgery. Leeches produce an anticoagulant that helps fine blood vessels repair faster after microsurgery. And, hirulin, the peptide in the leeches’ saliva, is being used as a treatment for those with blood-clotting disorders. The practice itself of use of leeches is still be reviewed but a modern twist includes the potential for electronics to assume the role of the actual leech.
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Ethnopharmacology, this new and burgeoning study of ancient healing practices, especially in Anglo-Saxon texts, looks as those the future of medicine is going to include much research into the wisdom of these medieval healing practices to complement our modern medicine.