Tudor Home Remedies Using Ingredients That Would Terrify Modern Doctors

Tudor medicine was a strange mix of superstition, trial-and-error, and deeply held beliefs about the balance of the body. Without any real understanding of germs or infections, people relied heavily on household remedies, and some of those involved ingredients that would horrify a modern GP. These treatments weren’t just misguided; they were sometimes downright dangerous, but they also offer a fascinating glimpse into the desperate measures people took to manage illness.

Human fat

In Tudor England, rendered human fat, often from executed criminals, was believed to have healing properties. It was commonly used in ointments to treat joint pain, swellings, or wounds. Apothecaries would mix it with herbs or oils and sell it as a kind of cure-all balm.

The idea was rooted in the belief that like could heal like, and that the essence of a human body could transfer strength or vitality. Needless to say, this would raise more than a few eyebrows in today’s medical community, not to mention legal and ethical alarms.

Dog urine

Urine was thought to have cleansing and healing powers, but dog urine was considered especially potent. People used it to treat skin conditions, particularly acne and spots. It was also believed to help heal wounds when mixed with herbs.

Tudor households might keep a chamber pot of dog urine for these purposes, often warming it before use. Today, the idea of applying warm animal waste to a wound is enough to make your stomach turn, but at the time it was just another tool in the homemade medical kit.

Dried mouse powder

One popular remedy for whooping cough involved drying out a dead mouse, grinding it into powder, and mixing it with various ingredients to be consumed. Sometimes it was baked into a pie; other times it was simply swallowed with honey. This gruesome treatment was given to children, based on the idea that the mouse’s vitality or properties could somehow counteract the illness. Unsurprisingly, this method had zero scientific merit and could easily spread disease.

Raw animal brains

Animal brains, usually from pigs or sheep, were mashed and applied directly to wounds as a kind of poultice. The thinking was that the brain tissue would help regenerate human tissue, or at the very least, cool inflammation.

These poultices were sometimes mixed with herbs or honey to mask the smell, but they were still extremely unhygienic. The risk of infection was enormous, especially when used on open wounds. But with limited options, people turned to whatever seemed remotely plausible.

Boiled toads

Boiled toads were a go-to remedy for everything from gout to seizures. In some cases, the entire toad was dried and worn in a pouch around the neck to ward off illness. In others, toad broth was drunk or applied topically.

Toads were thought to have magical properties, and their link with witches and spells only added to the mystique. While modern science sees no benefit, and plenty of risk, in boiling amphibians for medicine, it was an accepted part of Tudor life.

Live lice

To treat jaundice, some Tudor texts recommend swallowing live lice. The idea was to shock the system or draw the illness away from the liver by introducing another irritation into the body. This wasn’t a fringe idea, either. It appears in several household remedy books of the time. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work. However, it does show how far people were willing to go in search of a cure, no matter how unpleasant.

Mummy powder

One of the most disturbing trends of the Tudor period was the use of “mummy powder,” a substance made from ground-up ancient Egyptian mummies. Imported through European trade routes, it was believed to cure everything from headaches to internal bleeding.

The idea of ingesting the remains of a long-dead person might seem unthinkable now, but it was once a thriving business. Wealthier households stocked the powder as part of their medicine chests, unaware they were participating in a gruesome and highly unethical practice.

Rust scraped from swords

Iron and rust were thought to have healing properties, especially when associated with weapons. Rust scraped from swords used in battle was mixed into potions or powders, sometimes to treat epilepsy or even mental health issues. It was believed that the metal, having “tasted” blood in battle, carried a kind of strength or mystical energy. Today, we know rust can harbour harmful bacteria and cause tetanus, which is not exactly what you’d want in your medicine.

Burnt bees

Powdered, burnt bees were sometimes used in salves or sprinkled into drinks to treat sore throats or inflammation. The belief was that bees’ natural properties, particularly their association with healing and order, could be harnessed in this concentrated form.

This remedy involved catching live bees, burning them to ash, and then grinding the remains. Aside from the obvious cruelty, the medical benefit was minimal at best, and the risk of introducing toxins made it downright dangerous.

Tudor home remedies tell us a lot about the desperation, inventiveness, and beliefs of the time.

Without modern science, people turned to whatever was available, sometimes out of logic, sometimes out of superstition, and often out of sheer hope. These ingredients may seem terrifying now, but they were part of everyday life, and remind us just how far medicine has come.