History of Medicine

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

Similar to the concept of the Chinese qi and Indian prana, ancient Egyptians believed in the concept of Ka. Ka was the principal aspect of the soul or divine spirit and the vital life force or essence of a person, much like qi/prana. Ka is depicted as a pair of upraised hands in Egyptian hieroglyphics, which symbolizes a protective embrace by a person's ka. Symbol of ka in hieroglyphs It is very interesting that these similar concepts existed in so many ancient civilizations, developing independently (presumably), and yet having so many other similarities. Like the idea that ka was eternal and survived death. It differs from person to person and gives people individuality.  Ka was also the reason for the existence of pyramids and mummies. The Egyptians believed that when a person died, the ka left the body, but could return if the body was preserved so they went to great lengths to preserve the bodies of pharaohs and other important people, even stocking the tombs with food and dri

Yoda using the force in Star Wars After randomly linking the qi/prana concept with the Force in Star Wars in my previous post, it got me thinking about the parallels between the two, so I decided to explore it a little more. It turns out I wasn’t the first one to find similarities between the two concepts; there are many folks who have explored the parallels, particularly those who practice yoga. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker explains the Force as “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” In Indian culture, specifically in yoga, prana (literal definition: breath or life force) is defined as exactly that! Prana is an energy that surrounds all living things and binds us together.  Yoga is a means to channel the prana or life force. The literal meaning of the word “yoga” is union. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs: “The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to

Previously I wrote about Qi, the vital energy or life force energy derived from traditional Chinese medicine. Interestingly but not surprisingly, Chinese medicine is not the only one that believes in a vital energy guiding a person’s physical and mental processes. Indian medicine has a similar concept called prana . Prana is also a life force energy that flows through the human body. When it flows freely and is balanced, it results in good health and well-being. If it gets blocked or thrown off-balance, it causes illness. Chinese qi and Indian prana are very similar concepts, both help maintain health and happiness in humans by controlling physical and mental processes. And they are not the only ones either. Ancient Greek and Latin philosophies have a very similar concept: the Greeks called it  pneuma  (defined in the dictionary as the vital spirit or creative force of a person) while the Latin named it  spiritus . The Japanese apparently call it ki . In fact, it seems 97 cul

The Chinese (those who believe in Traditional Chinese Medicine) believe COVID-19 is caused by an imbalance of qi in the lungs. So what exactly is this qi? It has become a popular concept in the New Age movement, but it isn't very clear what it signifies, so I decided to dig a little deeper into it. Turns out, it is the fundamental basis of ancient Chinese medicine. Ancient Chinese medicine is based on the simple (in theory) principle that every system needs to be in harmony for health, well being and sustainability. When this harmony is broken, an imbalance is created in one direction and that leads to illness, disease, and many other sufferings. But it is more complicated than that- a system is not just a person, but everything that is interconnected and interdependent. That includes a family, community, environment… and the entire world. The harmony is created by two equal and opposite forces or elements: yin and yang. Qi (pronounced "chee") is the vital energy tha

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