Whether you’re buying Pirfenidone in Canada or simply getting over-the-counter sleeping pills from halfway around the world, you would know that different drugs have different effects and side effects. Their common ground lies in the fact that they cure people in the right dosage. This hasn’t always been the case.
Several decades up to centuries ago, people believed in an equally wide spectrum of supposed cures that did nothing more than harm the body. Here are some of the weirdest medicines you would not believe existed:
1. Ground mummies.
For a very long time in Europe, pulverized well-preserved bodies served as the holy grail of all known medicines—from broken bones to common colds. In fact, the demand broke the ceiling at one point that merchants just resorted to grinding up random corpses.
2. Molten gold.
In the Middle Ages, just as the Black Death reached its peak, the superstitious believed that the best cure was a good gulp of molten gold. Was it effective? At least the drinker did not die from the disease!
3. Mercury.
Just like molten gold, many considered mercury as a cure-all for symptoms of certain diseases, most notably syphilis. Many even used it as the leading birth control treatment.
4. Donkey skin.
In England, dressing in the skin of a donkey apparently cured rheumatism. No information on how this helped, but you’ll be surprised to know that donkey skin gelatin supposedly has health and beauty benefits.
5. A hole in the head.
The people of the Medieval Ages believed that severe headache was due to severe pressure or a spirit trying to get out of your head. To release it, they bore a hole in the skull right up to the brain tissue. Remarkably, some survived the “operation.”
Imagine having to puncture lungs to cure diseases like pulmonary fibrosis, though. Fortunately, with recent advancements, there’s no need to resort to that. With Pirfenidone, Canada residents can improve their health without unsafe operations.
Be glad you did not live during times when getting relief for your problems was hard and people did not know the effects of the “treatments” they used. Know where your medication is coming from and how to use them effectively.