Roman meds in ancient shipwreck

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Medicine made over 2,000 years ago has been discovered in an ancient Roman shipwreck. Archeologists investigating the wreck off the coast of Tuscany, Italy found a tin containing pills dating back to between 140 and 130 BC. They believe the medicine was an ancient eye treatment and say the discovery offers an insight into the use and sophistication of early medicine.

 Ancient: The medicinal tablets were found in the tin box that kept it safe from the sea water

WHAT COULD THEY HAVE CURED? POTENTIAL MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF THE MYSTERY PILLS REVEALED

Olive oil is one of the world's oldest medicinal agents. It has been used for centuries to treat dry skin but can also help combat dandruff, relieve sore throats, improve digestion and it also thought by some to prevent snoring.
Pine resin can be used as an anti-inflammatory to help treat rheumatism. It also acts as a natural remedy for colds and coughs and can be applied on burns.
Beeswax is also used to treat burns and as an anti-inflammatory. Chewing it is said to be good for teeth and gums.

Analysis of the tablets, which are thought to have been kept in a doctor’s chest, found they contain olive oil, pine resin, which has antibacterial properties, beeswax and starch.
They also contained an iron oxide and animal fats, as well as carrot, radish, parsley, celery and cabbage.

Lead researcher Gianna Giachi, a chemist at the Archeological Heritage of Tuscany, told the BBC: ‘The research highlights the care, even in ancient times, in the choice of the complex mixture of products in order to get the desired therapeutic effect and to help in the preparation and application of the same medicine.'

 

She said the shape of the pills suggest they were used to treat the eyes.
Alain Touwaide, scientific director of the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions, in Washington DC, said they may also have been used to treat wounds.

The wreck was discovered in the Gulf of Baratti, Italy, in 1974

The boat, named the Relitto del Pozzino, was discovered off the Gulf of Baratti in1974 and is thought to have been a trading boat sailing from Greece but the tablets have only now been fully investigated.

Scientists used a thin scalpel to peel away a small flake of the pill before studying it under microscopes and using DNA sequencing to analyse the organic elements.

Dr Touwaide said the discovery provides evidence that some natural medicines have worked for thousands of years. He told everydayhealth.com: ‘This information potentially represents essentially several centuries of clinical trials. If natural medicine was used for centuries and centuries, it’s not because it doesn’t work.