A man drinks one of the medicinal wines so popular in past centuries
In past centuries, when medical knowledge was practically scarce or nil, we treated ourselves with what we had available and, among the common "drugs", there were also the so-called medicinal wines.
The wine it was always the basis of the remedy, but other ingredients were added to it depending on the desired result.
The Ca 'Granda , which at the end of the 15th century was a state-of-the-art hospital in Milan, has left us important testimonies to this effect.
His archive in fact, it is an inexhaustible source of medical documents and treatises.
One of them is exclusively dedicated to the preparation of medicinal wines, judged useful in contrasting various ailments.
Here are the most used.
The wine with dull gold it purified the blood, cured epilepsy and relieved lepers.
The fenicolato wine it was considered excellent for improving the less brilliant eyesight of older people.
The sweet and pleasant garnet wine made use of the (real) beneficial effects of pomegranate.
Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it was used against pestilential fevers and cholera.
In addition, it was thought to improve the health of the arms and legs.
The admirable wine it was a sort of "antidepressant", as it was good against "melancholy".
It was also considered valid for liver health and to limit excessive anger.
Finally there was the rosemary wine, to drink in case of fever, tuberculosis and even cancer.
As if that weren't enough, this wine added with rosemary was considered to help improve fertility and in case of lack of appetite.
It should be noted that, although it was mostly bland, these medicinal wines really had a beneficial effect on the body, so much so that their preparation continued in the following centuries ( Photo from :donnemagazine.it).