Health hacks could be Medieval

Health hacks you see on social media platforms like TikTok aren’t so new after all—some are many hundreds of years old.

Researchers have been digging through old manuscripts and books and found that people living in the 11^th century—considered to be the ‘dark ages’—were as interested in their health as we are and were trying remedies that are today called health hacks.

An ancient remedy for a headache involved crushing a peach mixed with rose oil, and smearing it on your forehead—and a study published in 2017 showed that rose oil can alleviate migraine pain.  And people living a thousand years ago had their own form of waxing—lizard shampoo, made up of parts from a lizard, helps hair removal.

Researchers from Binghamton University in New York have been scouring Medieval books and manuscripts like the Cotton MS Vitellius C III for health remedies.

“A lot of things that you see in these manuscripts are actually being promoted online currently as alternative medicine, but they have been around for thousands of years,” said Meg Leja, one of the researchers.

What do you think? Start a conversation over on the... WDDTY Community