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European doctors once prescribed ground-up mummies as medicine

Original: 🏺 TIL: European physicians once prescribed ground-up Egyptian # mummies as # medicine for various ailments. Recent chemi

European physicians historically prescribed ground-up Egyptian mummies as a remedy for various ailments, a practice known as mumia. Recent chemical analyses of historical preparations found plant resins and aloe compounds, and laboratory tests showed that an extract from a historic mummy preparation provided modest effects. The findings highlight how far medical practice has shifted and how trade in human remains once shaped European pharmacy.

Why now: The surprising history of medicinal cannibalism-style remedies, backed by new chemical analyses, is circulating as a curiosity on social media

European physiciansEgyptian mummiesmumia

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• 🏺 TIL: European physicians once prescribed ground-up Egyptian # mummies as # medicine for various ailments. Recent chemical analyses of historical preparations found plant resins and aloe compounds. Lab tests showed that a historic mummy preparation extract provided modest… · tksst@fediscience.org · 3

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