3 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Academics Uncover Ancient Roman Physicians Galen’s Pharmacy Legacy in İzmir

As a part of research on medicinal plants in Bergama, İzmir’s historic district where Galen (129 AD -200 AD) once resided, academics from Ege University are investigating the contributions of the renowned ancient Roman physician’s prescriptions over the years.

Galen (Galēnos) was one of the most prominent ancient physicians as well as a philosopher. In addition to his title as the father of pharmacy, Galen is also the first sports physician of the Roman world. His medical, and in some cases philosophical, work had a huge impact throughout the medieval period and even later, both in Europe and elsewhere. His position as the leading authority in medical theory extended for at least fourteen hundred years.

As part of a study conducted by the University of Ege to investigate how plants have been used by humans for centuries, Dr. Şükrü Arasan visited villages in the region and spoke to locals to compare the herbal prescriptions recorded in the Bergama region with those of Galen’s.

Doctor Şükrü Arasan and his team’s research has led them to local communities where the use of plants in medicine is still a living tradition. By comparing the herbal remedies created by these villagers to those documented by Galen, the researchers unearthed an intriguing continuity.

The study reveals that 160 different plant species are still in use, with approximately 130 of these employed for therapeutic purposes.

“The most prominent subject in our study was plants used in traditional folk medicine. One treatment that surprised us was the use of henbane seeds against the larvae of myiasis flies. The seeds of the henbane plant are mixed with animal tallow or tail fat and different processes are applied to produce smoke. The patient’s face is exposed to the smoke and the fly larvae are observed to fall into a bowl of water under the chin,” Dr. Arasan shared.

This is undoubtedly a testament to the innovative and practical applications of these ancient prescriptions.

Emphasizing the importance of dosage when using plants as traditional medicine, Professor Hasan Yıldırım at Ege University’s Department of Biology, said, “We are studying Galen’s formulas. his specialty is hidden in the doses of his formulas. For example, it is said to ‘drink sage tea.’ But how much should you drink? The use, effect, dose, and side effects of each plant are different. A small amount of many herbal active substances is medicinal, but too much of it may be poisonous.”

This delicate balance emphasizes the need to recognize and honor the power of natural remedies in addition to the wisdom of age-old customs. The study of Galen’s formulas serves as a reminder of the complex relationship between nature and health, a never-ending dialogue between the past and present.

Cover Photo: Haluk Cömertel

Related Articles

Teacher unearthed stone with ancient ogham writing from Ireland in Coventry garden

9 May 2024

9 May 2024

A geography teacher, Graham Senior, stumbled across a rock with mysterious incisions while tidying his overgrown garden in Coventry, England. ...

New discoveries found under demolished historic Tawfiq Pasha Andraos Palace in Egypt

31 October 2021

31 October 2021

An Egyptian archaeological mission excavating at the site of the recently demolished Tawfiq Pasha Andraos Palace discovered a number of...

Twin temples linked to Hercules and Alexander the Great discovered in Sumerian city of Girsu

29 January 2024

29 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered two temples, with one buried over the other, during excavations at Girsu, a Sumerian city in southeastern Iraq...

Iron Age stone altar and gold-plated ceremonial sword discovered in Kazakhstan

14 August 2021

14 August 2021

A stone altar and a gold-plated ceremonial sword used in the early Iron Age were discovered during excavations along the...

The newly discovered fossils are 200,000 years old in Denisova Cave

29 November 2021

29 November 2021

Scientists have discovered the earliest remains of a human lineage known as the Denisovans. Researchers have identified stone artifacts connected...

A new study reveals the Achaemenid Kingdom paid its workers silver

21 September 2021

21 September 2021

A new study on inscribed clay tablets that were used in the treasury archives of the Achaemenid Empire revealed that...

Female pharaoh’s temple reveals teamwork of Egypt’s ‘ancient masters’

18 November 2021

18 November 2021

Despite the widely acknowledged monumentality and durability of ancient Egyptian sculpture, carved reliefs, and paintings the makers of these works...

Archaeologists Found an Egyptian Temple Slotted into a Cliff Face, Probably Dedicated to a Lion-Headed Goddess Repit

15 December 2024

15 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a hidden gateway leading to a 2,100-year-old temple built into a cliff face at the ancient city...

The marble head of God Apollo unearthed in an excavation at Philippi, Greece

29 March 2024

29 March 2024

The excavation, carried out by a group of students of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the archaeological site of...

Archaeologists unearthed fresh evidence that bedbugs came to Britain with the Romans

3 February 2024

3 February 2024

Archaeologists working the Roman garrison site of Vindolanda in Northumberland, south of Hadrian’s Wall, have discovered new proof that the...

The longest inscription in Saudi Arabia turned out to belong to the last king of Babylon

25 July 2021

25 July 2021

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage has announced the discovery of a 2,550-year-old inscription etched on basalt stone...

Copious Copper Supplies Made Cyprus a Trading Center in the Bronze Age

23 March 2023

23 March 2023

Cyprus was a surprisingly busy trading hub during the early period of international trade in the Mediterranean region. Its awe-inspiring...

The remains of a very uncommon’ dinosaur species have been discovered in Brazil

20 November 2021

20 November 2021

Researchers have uncovered the remains of a toothless, two-legged dinosaur species that lived 70 million years ago in Brazil, calling...

Computational Analysis Points to a Non-Traditional Garden of Eden Location – Beneath the Pyramids?

30 April 2025

30 April 2025

A radical new theory proposed by a computer engineer suggests that the biblical Garden of Eden may not be in...

One of the oldest known mosques in the world uncovered in Israel

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

A team of Israeli archaeologists has discovered what is one of the oldest known mosques in the world. Israeli archaeologists...