History of Medicine

As we come to accept that the great covid-19 pandemic which started off as an epidemic is slowly becoming  endemic , it's worth noting the new additions to our vocabulary. These words that were likely "all Greek to you" before 2020, are indeed just that -- they are all in fact derived from ancient Greek! The word  epidemic was in use since at least the time of Homer which is around 600 BCE, and is mentioned in the Odyssey to mean "who is back home" or "who is in his country." However, it was first introduced to medical jargon, along with its closely associated words pandemic and endemic , by the ancient Greek doctor, Hippocrates.    Hippocrates' treatise on Epidemics  Evolution of the term Epidemics. Credit: Paul Martin And not just these but several other words that we have come to associate with the current pandemic (as well as other diseases) were also coined by Hippocrates and his medical school such as: Cytokine Chronic Resolution Peak Acute

Recently, I wrote about the anti-malarial properties of artemisia. Artemisia was also recently in the news for its potential effectiveness against covid-19, and I explored that a few months ago in "Artemisia for COVID Treatment." Turns out the plant might have other hidden wonders: it is also being investigated as a cancer therapy. Artemisia, whose medicinal origins can be traced back to 200 BCE in ancient China, is one truly impressive medicinal plant! Artemisia has active phytochemicals that have a list of medicinal properties— antimalarial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial to name a few. It has recently also been found that the bioactive compounds of the plant target multiple pathways in the case of cancer.  A study by University of Washington researchers found artemisinin to be very effective in killing specific cancer cells—up to 1200 times more effective than current treatments! The UW researcher described it as “ like a special agent plantin

Another herbal remedy for COVID-19 is making news, this time in India. A company called Patanjali Ayurved that sells products based on ancient medicinal herbs from Ayurveda is marketing a new product called Coronil that it claims is effective against covid. The company has met with criticism in the past for overselling its products, but the company stands by its claims and claims to have clinical test data to back its claims. The Indian ministry's AYUSH section of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has approved Coronil as a drug that can be used as “supporting measure in Covid-19” and as an immuno-booster. Coronil is the first product against covid-19 to be marketed by a prominent company and one that is based on ancient medicine. The medicine reportedly contains active compounds from three common Ayurvedic herbs, ashwagandha, giloy, and tulsi, and is touted as exhibiting high anti-viral and immunity boosting properties. The product has approval for export to 158 countries

It's been over a year since COVID-19 first made its appearance, yet it remains as challenging as ever to beat. As cases surge around the world with no clear remedy in sight except for the vaccine (hopefully!), there is increasing attention being paid to ancient remedies. After various Indian and Chinese remedies made their rounds (which I wrote about some time back), here's a new one that made news this month. Andrographis paniculata , a herbal plant commonly known as green chiretta, was recently approved by Thailand for treating COVID-19. Their ministry of health has started a pilot program to test the alternative treatment after human trials showed patient condition improving within days of treatment with the extract. The ancient herb has apparently reduced the severity of inflammations in early stages of the disease.  Turns out, Andrographis paniculata is a well known ayurvedic herb, called  Kalmegh,  and is used to treat liver disease and fever. According to ayurveda, the &

Pandemic probably tops the long list of new words added to our vocabulary in 2020, but before it earned that notoriety, covid-19 was classified as an epidemic in Wuhan, China. It was only in March 2020 that WHO upgraded it to a pandemic -- far deadlier and more widespread than an epidemic. What's in a name, you ask? Merriam Webster defines an epidemic as a disease affecting a large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time;  a pandemic is an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people, according to the WHO. Not surprisingly, both words are derived from ancient Greek. Pandemic comes from the Greek word pandemos , based on pan meaning "all" + demos meaning "people" or "population"; pandemic therefore affects nearly all of the people. In contrast, epi means "upon," so epidemic is something visited upon the people. 

I previously wrote about WHO endorsing the study of herbal remedies for treatment of COVID in Africa. This was in response to a herbal drink being sold widely in Madagascar claiming to be highly effective against COVID-19. The herbal infusion is sold in bottles labeled as COVID Organics or CVO, but is colloquially referred to as "green gold". It is reportedly flying off the shelves as people scramble to get their hands on a cheap and popular drink that can help them combat the rapidly spreading disease. The herbal drink is made from a local plant called artemisia annua, also known as sweet wormwood. The plant grows widely in African countries and it is commonly used to treat malaria in Africa. However, it appears to have originated in China, where it is known as qinghao.  Artemisia plant Qinghao was first mentioned in  Recipes for Fifty-Two Ailments (Wushi'er Bingfang),  an ancient Chinese medical treatise, thought to be written during the Qin Dynasty around 215 BC or ear

Getting back to the topic of using traditional medicines against COVID, which I wrote about earlier, it seems now the World Health Organization (WHO) is also endorsing its use, or at least considering it. On September 19, the WHO formally endorsed a protocol for testing herbal medicines as potential treatments for the coronavirus and other epidemics. The endorsement was specifically aimed at testing African herbal medicines, but the same should apply to all herbal medicines used around the world. A statement by the WHO director read, "The onset of COVID-19, like the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, has highlighted the need for strengthened health systems and accelerated research and development programmes, including on traditional medicines." The move seems to be in response to some African countries using and selling herbal remedies for treating COVID. The most prominent one is a drink called COVID-Organics or CVO, which is being sold widely in Madagascar, with their President

Continuing with the theme of ancient medicine being used for treating COVID-19,  a recent article claims that a 3000 year old medicine, derived from the autumn flower crocus, was recently found to show promising results for the treatment of the disease. Autumn crocus flowers The medicine, colchicine, has been used for many centuries as an anti-inflammatory agent for gout and arthritis. It was first mentioned as far back as 1500 BCE in the Egyptian manuscript, the Ebers Papyrus as a remedy for joint pain. It was derived from the autumn flower crocus, and widely used by the 1st century AD for gout and edema. In fact, it is said Benjamin Franklin, who suffered from edema, imported crocus plants to North America from France. The Ebers Papyrus. Image: National Institute of Health After the active ingredient was isolated in the 1800s, colchicine is now available in the form of a pill for various ailments such as gout and periciditis. Now, a team of Greek doctors conduct

Just as ancient Indian medicine is under review for potential use for treatment of COVID-19, the Chinese have also turned to their ancient medical science to combat the disease. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in China, and represents a multi-billion dollar industry. So when the novel coronavirus hit China in early 2020 and no effective treatment was found, the Chinese turned to TCM, apparently based on their past experience in the treatment of infectious diseases including the SARS epidemic in 2003. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the human body (and in fact, all matter) is made up of Qi or vital energy. The qi controls the basic functions of the human body; when the normal flow of this life energy is disturbed, it causes disease. In the case of COVID, the pathogenic qi is stronger than the healthy qi and has an adverse effect on the lungs. TCM doctors described severe cases of COVID-19 as caused by a noxious dampness that causes the qi in the lungs to

As I wrote previously, researchers in the U.S. and India are exploring the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda to combat the coronavirus. There are clinical trials underway to study the efficacy of Ayurvedic medicines touted by many Indian doctors. In the meantime, the Indian ministry has endorsed immunity boosters specifically for COVID-19. They include concoctions like turmeric powder mixed with hot milk- a common remedy in India, also known as "golden milk"- and daily meditation with deep breathing.   Indian Ministry of Ayush poster. Image: Twitter Even though these therapies may not kill the virus, they can help boost the body’s natural immune system and improve lung condition. Lungs are the most affected organ in COVID. According to Ayurveda, herbs such as holy basil, Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu and other common household (to Indians) spices like turmeric can help boost immunity against respiratory diseases and help fight pathogens.  Because people are skep

As we ponder the consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is interesting to look back at history, which is riddled with pandemics with staggering death tolls. I thought it would be worthwhile to compare the effects of historical pandemics with the current one for some perspective. While the effects of the current pandemic are certainly shocking, it was shocking to discover that other pandemics were even more devastating with some like the plague claiming tens of millions of lives. The infographic below offers a great visual representation of the death toll of past pandemics and helps provide a good perspective on how each pandemic compares with others and also to the pandemic we face today. Death Toll of Various Pandemics. Image: Visual Capitalist   The tragic loss of human life is an obvious consequence of a pandemic, but there are also other fallouts that are less well known but equally important in the context of history. Looking at pandemics of the ancient worl

This post is not really related to ancient medicine but dedicated to the medical professionals that have been working to keep their fellow humans healthy through the ages. People around the world are being urged to practice social distancing and shelter-in-place to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. About 4 billion people- half the world’s population- are currently under a lockdown of some sort, with  many schools, offices, restaurants, and stores closed. Most people are leaving their homes only for essential tasks such as grocery or medicine shopping. In the midst of this unprecedented situation, some people have to go about their work every day, putting everything on the line. They are the healthcare workers, emergency services, police and armed services, pharmacists, and all those who are out there working on the front line of fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. We owe these essential workers a great deal, and I think we should take every opportunity to recognize and thank the

As the world learns a new way of life involving self-isolation amid the global spread of coronavirus, the concept of quarantine has been brought to the forefront. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, quarantine means “to put or hold in isolation to prevent the spread of disease” and that is exactly what we are experiencing right now. Many countries and several states in the U.S. have imposed mandatory isolation of its population to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Although the mass quarantine imposed today might be unprecedented in history, quarantine is certainly not a new concept. The word itself is derived from "quaranta giorni", which in Italian means 40 days. It originated sometime in the mid-14th century, when all ships coming into Venice were isolated before passengers and crew were allowed to disembark during the Black Death plague epidemic. However, the practice of quarantine dates further back, all the way to ancient times. Ancient Greeks were isolating si