From the Rootcutter: A Clinical Herbalist Attempts to Make Ancient Greek Herbal Wine
The inaugural essay for The Rootcutter, the official blog for The Society of Ancient Medicine, published on April 11, 2022.
Excerpt from The Rootcutter: “It is a curious cultural phenomenon that while the ancient Greeks used wine regularly as medicine, modern herbal practices practically exclude this medium. Ancient authors, from Homer in the 8th century BCE to Galen in the 2nd century CE, promoted the therapeutic benefits of wine for both the body and the mind, and wine infused with medicinal herbs was recommended by many ancient physicians to heal a variety of internal and external ailments. Today, however, this practice has all but disappeared. Exploring wine as a lost medium and the herbs that were once infused in it may help uncover ancient knowledge applicable to modern herbal medicine.”