Ancient Greek Potions

Almost all of the medications that we have today are due to the ancient greeks who were the first to use potions for healing and a wide variety of other reasons Herbs were used widely across the world but were especially used in greece. Many things from the greeks we can still find in our daily lives today. Ancient greek potions were one of the most important items in greek culture because they had an interesting mix of ingredients, were used for different reasons, and are the baseline of many of the medications we have today. In ancient Greek culture there were different ways that potions were made; there were different rituals and ingredients that were infused into the potions. The most common item that was almost always used in potions

The most familiar potions were love and sleep potions. Often times the sleep potions would kill the potion taker due to a certain herb or ingredient in the potion being too intense. As Jonathan Sonto, the author of Ancient Potions, had stated in his article “sleep potions were used as gifts and punishments. They could be used to kill a person for their wrongdoing. If a person wanted to escape the world of stress they could take the sleep potion and sleep through the trauma going on in the world.” Many people today probably wish that this potion was still alive and well. The sleep potions were sometimes given as ointments. The ointments were much easier to keep track of and manage the effectiveness of the potion. If a person had insomnia they could use more of the ointment and more often whereas if a person just wants to sleep they can use the ointment more sparingly. If another person uses the liquefied potion, the person has to drink the entire bottle and they are done with the entire potion. The same concept that was used for sleep potions was used for surgical purposes. After surgery aesthesis, which translates to anesthesia today, was made into an ointment form and was rubbed on the affected area. This would reduce pain and help the healing go by faster. Almost all greek surgeons would use the ointment method to help their

The different potions makers would make the potions in different ways depending on who or what it was making the potion. Ancient greeks would use potions an abundance of causes. There were medical reasoning and counterproductive reasons that potions were made. If it were not for the ancient greeks that are the baseline of all of today’s pharmaceutical practices, there would not be as many advancements that we have today in medicine. Greek potions are one of the most influential items that we have advanced from. The potions had ways that people would never think of today. People in greece had used potions for reasoning that has helped us build the advancements in medication that we now have in the modern