EXPERTS have uncovered the disgusting experiments carried out almost 500 years ago to cure problems like baldness and ulcers on your privates.
Among the ingredients are human poo, lizard heads boiled in olive oil and hippo teeth.
Scientists found filthy spills all over this 494-year-old medical manualCredit: John Rylands Research Institute and Library / University of Manchester
They suggested rubbing poo on your head to .
And having some nutmeg would apparently solve conditions like genital ulcers.
The shocking recipes were found after scientists studied two German medical manuals from the era, published in 1531 by an eye doctor and surgeon called Bartholomäus Vogtherr.
While these books have been in the possession of researchers for sometime we never knew if people actually tried the gross recipes out.
Samples covered in handwritten notes and fingerprints indicate that users tested the instructions detailed in the books while making their own additions.
So, experts decided to analyse invisible residues – using a technique called proteomics analysis – to work out what was being used.
The team discovered chemical traces and spills which reveal what people dared to dabble with all those years ago.
“These traces include components of sweat, sometimes saliva, metabolites, contaminants, and environmental components,” study co-author Gleb Zilberstein revealed to Live Science .
Special strips were used to carefully take the proteins off the paper without damaging the delicate book.
A total of 111 proteins were sequenced.
Some ingredients were perfectly harmless like European beech, watercress and to cure hair loss and to strengthen the growth of facial hair too.
But others suggest smearing human feces on your head everyday to overcome hair loss.
Meanwhile, traces of hippo proteins indicate that readers may have been suffering with dental issues – ranging from bad breath to toothache.
The study was published in the American Historical Review journal.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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