The civilized world has always disdained the very idea of the possibility of eating human flesh. Savages-cannibals were mercilessly destroyed by European colonialists. One suspicion was enough for the inquisitors to send the entire family of the alleged cannibal from among fellow citizens to the stake. Against the background of this hysterical disgust, medieval medicine looks especially strange, where there were no problems at all with the use of human remains for the preparation of miraculous decoctions.
Placenta
Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine teaches that eating the placenta helps young mothers recover from childbirth. Plus, this same unappetizing dish even cures anemia and sexual dysfunction. Allegedly.
Saliva
In ancient Rome, there was a special caste of slaves - cosmetae. As you might guess from the name, these girls knew how to make cosmetics. Instead of water or oil, they dissolved the ingredients using their own saliva.
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Skulls
Savages-cannibals caused fits of righteous anger in the inhabitant of Puritan England of the XVII century. Meanwhile, King Charles II did not disdain at all the preparation made from crushed human skulls. Other ingredients in the miracle cure were opium, a goat stomach stone, and crushed pearls.
Fat
Early European pharmacists used human fat in ointments to treat toothache, bone pain, and gout. Like many pseudoscientific medicine, human fat was presented as a real panacea for all ills.
Breast milk
The British used their breast milk to the utmost. Influenza, ulcers, plague epidemics and even madness succumbed (according to the doctors) to a preparation of honey, wormwood and human milk.
Mummy
The mummy powder trade flourished in ancient Egypt. Business did not lose popularity until the end of the 18th century, and in some places it brings money even today. The crushed remains of the mummified deceased were widely used to treat arthritis and various tumors. The strangest thing is that this same drug was considered the strongest aphrodisiac.
Honey man
Arabian Bazaars XII was the place to buy any curiosity. The acquisition of the so-called "honey man" was considered a special success, which is nothing more than a corpse soaked in honey. To sugar himself in this way, an old Arab man went to the desert with an assistant, where he ate only honey for a month. By the thirtieth day, all his secretions consisted of honey, and soon the man was dying. Then the assistant put the body in a special stone coffin, also filled with honey. The master pastry chef set a timer for a hundred years on his hourglass and that was all, the miracle cure was ready. They say you lick your fingers.
