Papyrus Ebers

No drugs have been a more faithful companion to man throughout his history than salicylates, the forebears of aspirin. About 3,500 years ago the Ebers Papyrus recommended the application of a decoction of leaves of myrtle to the abdomen and back to get rid of rheumatic pains. Hippocrates championed the juices of the poplar tree and willow bark to treat fever and labor pains. These plants and trees are abimdant in compounds derived from salicylic acid, which gets its name from them (in Latin salix is a willow tree). For thousands of years on all continents they have helped to... 

Ancient papyrus provided written records of early Egyptian medical knowledge. The Ebers papyrus (from around 3000 bc) provided 877 prescriptions and recipes for internal medicine, eye and skin problems, and gynecology. Another record, from the Kahun papyrus of around ISOObc, detailed treatments for gynecological problems. Medications were based mainly on herbal products such as myrrh, frankincense, castor oil, fennel, sienna, thyme, linseed, aloe, and garlic. 

Henbane is a biennial herb growing wild in Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, and cultivated in several other countries (Robbers et al. 1996). The ancient Egyptians mention its use in the Ebers Papyrus, written circa 1500 B.C.E. (Shultes and Hofman 1992). It was also mentioned in writings by the ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides for its medicinal uses. It has been suggested that the Oracle of Delphi inhaled smoke from henbane seeds to induce a prophetic trance. The plant is poisonous to livestock animals, as indicated by its common name henbane, and by its botanical name hyoscyamus, meaning "hog bean."... 

Cannabis was used by the ancient Egyptians in their medicine. The Ebers Papyrus, found in the tomb at Thebes (about 1534 B.C.), is not the oldest known recorded mention of the medical uses of cannabis, but it is the oldest known complete medical textbook in existence. This document mentions medicinal cannabis under the name smsmt. There are two formulas mentioning medicinal use of cannabis 1 remedy for a toe-nail (Formula No. 618) and 2a remedy to cool the uterus (Formula No. 821). 

Interest in the treatment of disease can be found in documents as old as records exist. Folklore accumulated about outcomes following use of presumed medicines. These outcomes were thought to be due to the drug. The Ebers papyrus, written in Egypt around 1550 BC, was a compilation of some of this folklore. 

The prescriptions in the Ebers papyrus (sixteenth century B.C.) mention both common salt and soda (natron) (31). Both the Old and New Testaments abound in literal and figurative allusions to salt Ye are the salt of the earth , Have salt in yourselves and have peace one with another (32). Strabo described the mining of rock salt and its preparation from salt springs in 18 A.D. (1). Dioscorides of Anazarba said in 64 A.D. that the best salt came from Cyprus, Sicily, Africa, and Phrygia (I). 

Although the subject of some controversy, the Ebers papyrus (1550 BC) appears to be the earliest, largest, and most comprehensive reference to diabetes and describes one of the principal symptoms of the disease, excessive urination. Other scholars consider the discussion sufficiently vague that it may be regarded as a kidney disorder. In the second century AD, however, the condition was described in more detail by Areteus and the focus was on excessive urination, unquenchable thirst, and degradation of tissue. The name diabetes, taken from the Greek, siphon, was adopted, because fluid does not remain in the body. 

In fact, all substances are poisonous, and there are none that are safe. The right dose alone differentiates a substance as a remedy or as a poison. In other words, no substance is absolutely safe. Important reference could be made to valuable contributions of Theophra Stus (370-286 B.C.), Hippocrates (400 B.C.), and Ebers Papyrus (1500 B.C.). In fact, the use of hemlock by the Greeks to execute the great philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) is an instance of its own. Recently, Ramazzini (1700) documented preventive measures to control industrial hazards among occupational workers (Fig. 2-1). 

B.C. c. 300 B.C. Early 1500s Ebers Papyrus describes over 800 recipes for poisons Theophrastus, a pupil of Aristotle, referenced poisons and was later executed by poison Paracelsus determined that specific chemicals were actually responsible for the toxicity of a plant or animal poison... 

As mentioned previously, in the introductory chapter of this book, interest in the treatment of disease can be found in documents as old as the existence of records. Folklore accumulated about presumed effects after the use of certain medicines. The Ebers papyrus, written in Egypt around 1550 bc, was a compilation of some of this folklore. In India, Ayurveda (from ayur, meaning life, and veda, meaning knowledge or science), a whole conceptual system of living, is believed to have started around the same time. The codification of this system of medicine, including the concept of a formulary in which herbal remedies and recipes for them are described, was written in Sanskrit around 100 bc to ad 100 or possibly earlier. The written record of a Chinese herbal formulary comes from the Han dynasty (206 bc to ad 220). 

Ebers Papyrus, 1500 bc the oldest well preserved medical document from ancient Egyptian records dated from approximately 1500 bc contains 110 papyrus pages on anatomy and physiology, toxicology, spells, and treatment. Homer, 850 bc wrote of the use of arrows poisoned with venom in the epic tales of The Odyssey and The Iliad. The Greek word toxikon is arrow poison. 

The word toxicology is derived from the Greek words toxikon (arrow poison) and toxikos (the bow). Poisons were known about and used in warfare from the earliest times. However, there were other reasons for interest in poisons, and study of them had begun by 1500 bc. The Ebers Papyrus, the earhest medical records, include references to and recipes for poisons. Many of these are recognizable, such as hemlock, the plant toxin that the Greeks used for the execution of Socrates in 399 bc. Other substances listed are aconite, which was used as an arrow poison by the Chinese, and poisonous metals such as lead and antimony. Opium, which was used for both poisonous and beneficial purposes, has been known for at least 5,000 years. 

Records show that ancient Egyptians bathed regularly. The Ebers Papyrus, a medical document, describes the combining of animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to form a soap-like material used for treating skin diseases, as well as for washing. 

Toxic psychoses and delirium from ingestion of atropine and scopolamine have been known for many centuries descriptions of the effects of these drugs antedate by long times the recognition of their mechanism of action. For example, henbane was recommended in the Ebers papyrus of about 1550 B.C. for the relief of abdominal distress. 

Kirkby, W. The story of the pill from the days of the ebers papyrus to recent times. Chem. Drug. 1939, 130 (Special Issue). 

It is useful to consider the therapeutic landscape with respect to the aims of pharmacology. As stated by Sir William Ossler (1849-1919), ...the prime distinction between man and other creatures is man s yearning to take medicine. The notion that drugs can be used to cure disease is as old as history. One of the first written records of actual prescriptions can be found in the Ebers Papyrus... 

Throughout the ages humans have relied on Nature to cater for their basic needs, not the least of which are medicines for the treatment of a myriad of diseases. Plants, in particular, have formed the basis of sophisticated traditional medicine systems, with the earliest records documenting the uses of approximately 1,000 plant-derived substances in Mesopotamia, and the Ebers Papyrus dating from 1500 BCE, documenting over 700 drugs, mostly of plant... 

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