So you have a nasty sniffle, sore throat or nasty cough and you want to shake it off as quickly as possible.
You’re probably going to reach for lozenges, Lemsip, or Vicks. But the remedies used by England’s past kings could be just as soothing, experts claim.
While some ancient cold treatments from centuries past suggest boiling an owl’s head or smearing goat poop on your forehead to relieve a headache, there are some slightly less extreme remedies that might work.
Dr. Kathryn Maude, a medieval specialist at the National Archives in Kew, has unearthed two 15th-century recipes from the papers of King Henry VI.
One was intended to soothe a cold, the other to clear blockages. “Imagine a medieval Vicks VapoRub,” she said.
The recipes for a herbal compress and an old beer, mustard seed and nutmeg inhalation were discovered among various objects from the Chancellery, the king’s writing office.
Dr. Maude explained that “old beer” wasn’t as strange as it sounds, because it meant old, strong, top-quality beer, rather than beer that had gone bad.
While some ancient cold treatments from centuries past suggest boiling an owl’s head or smearing goat poop on your forehead to relieve a headache, there are some that might work (file image of a sick man)
An 18th-century remedy for sore throat, written in a notebook by Scottish aristocrat Lady Augusta Murray (pictured), suggests gargling with a combination of vinegar and port
The poultice for a feverish head calls for a blend of chamomile, sagewood, concrete, and wild purslane, all of which are native to Britain and would be commonly found.
Dr. Maude said, “You made a compress out of it and put it on the top of your head. Poultices were a common part of medieval medicine. I think this would be like using a hot water bottle.”
But Dr. Maude explains that there are many more unusual remedies to cure the symptoms of the common cold.
An 18th-century remedy for sore throat, written in a notebook by Scottish aristocrat Lady Augusta Murray, suggests gargling with a combination of vinegar and port wine.
She writes: ‘The best gargle for a sore throat, especially if it is of the putrid kind, is an equal quantity of port wine, vinegar and sage tea, with a little honey and bark (mixed) in – not just the powder of the bark. the liquid.’
Dr. Maude explains that the “bark” mentioned in her notes is probably cinchona bark, brought from South America as a supposed anti-malaria drug.
Another tenth century healing from almost 1000 years earlier, recorded in the Bald’s Leechbook preserved in the British Library also uses a mixture of vinegar and herbs.
The recipe calls for celandine (a plant with yellow flowers) mixed with vinegar and then rubbed on the head and forehead to cure headaches.
In another recipe for ‘a man who has a dangerous cough’ written by Gilbertine nuns around the 13th century it is suggested that sage, cumin and pepper powder be mixed and boiled together in honey to make a syrup. It is added that you should take it every evening and morning.
Dr. Kathryn Maude (pictured) has unearthed two recipes from the 15th century in the papers of King Henry VI. One was intended to soothe a cold, the other to clear blockages
Dr. Philippa Kaye herself tried the King’s recipe for clearing congestion, claiming the combination of steam and mustard cleared her sinuses, but also made her eyes water and gave her headaches
Dr. Phillipa said that while the combination of the steam with the mustard certainly felt like it would clear your sinuses, it also made her eyes water and seemed to give her a headache.
However, there are notes from a medical manuscript written in the Middle Ages called the Leids Leechboek has some rather bizarre recipes.
One suggests that people with headaches should boil and eat an owl’s head, and another suggests mixing goat feces with vinegar and rubbing it on your forehead.
While you shouldn’t rely on any of these strange methods at home if you’re feeling ill, the remedies that involve inhaling a steamy brew or drinking a sweet syrup can have a soothing effect.
London-based GP Dr Philippa Kaye herself tried the King’s recipe to clear congestion, claiming the combination of steam and mustard cleared her sinuses, but also made her eyes water and gave her headaches.
Dr. Kaye said: ‘The benefits of steam inhalation are well known: it helps loosen mucus in the nose and sinuses, relieves sore throat and hoarseness, although you can achieve these effects over a bowl or pan of hot water.’
Professor Ron Eccles, an expert in life sciences at Cardiff University, and former director of the Common Cold Centre, also says hot steam or a warm sweet drink can help colds.
He once studied the effects of drinking a comforting warm drink on a stuffy nose.
The 2008 study Drinking warm blackcurrant syrup provides immediate relief from a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, chill and fatigue.
In contrast, a room temperature drink only relieved the symptoms of a runny nose, coughing and sneezing.
Professor Eccles expects that any hot, sweet drink will have the same effect.
He believes the steam in the hot drink can soften and break down the mucus, making it easier to breathe. It also reduces the swelling of a sore throat, but experts aren’t entirely sure why.
A hot shower or steamy bath is likely to have the same effects, relieving nasal congestion, coughing and sore throat, explains Professor Eccles.
He has also previously told MailOnline that a warm, sweet drink, such as a cup of honey with lemon or blackcurrant, is a simple way to ease the symptoms of a cough and sore throat.
He added that such a drink works because it promotes salivation, which soothes the throat.