Historical References on the Health Benefits of Wine

Hildegard von Bingen, Paracelsus and Goethe are well-known names of history that discussed on the salutary effect of wine.

The ancient Greeks drank wine to treat pain

 

Cheers: The tradition to toast using these words was already known among the ancient Greeks. They had 200 places of worship where they drank in the honor of their healing god Asklepios. "Noise" wines were prescribed for the relief of disease symptoms. Hippocrates in 400 BC was already using wine to strengthen patients in the recovery phase, along with tranquilizers and sleeping and anti-headache pills.

Cultures of antiquity

 

Cultures of antiquity - Wine for sciatica
Various ancient cultures used wine with additional vegetable matter or pure wine as a narcotic analgesic for sciatica and cardiovascular disorders. Eye disease and bloating were also treated with wine. Last but not least, it was used as a diuretic.

Roman legionnaires

 

Roman legionnaires used wine for hygiene improvement
Roman legionnaires drank wine not only after but also during their campaigns. They mixed it with water for a better hygienic quality. Wine was also used as a disinfectant in wound treatment. It was then confirmed that this drink also has some antibacterial effects.

Hildegard von Bingen

 

Hildegard von Bingen - Rage against wine
The abbess Hildegard von Bingen was a prophet of the 12th century and a mystic figure of the Middle Ages. He tried to balance the blood, phlegm, black and yellow bile using the healing power of herbs and spices.
Irritability and outbursts of anger, one of the "unhealthy surfeits of black bile", were cured with white wine heated up to the boiling point. This wine was then mixed with water.

Friedrich Hoffmann

 

Friedrich Hoffmann - More is better
The chemist and physician Friedrich Hoffmann, a professor at the Martin Luther University and personal physician of the Prussian King Frederick I, developed the wine cure. The patients participating to his study had to drink half a liter of wine per day in the first week. This dosage was then increased during the treatment, so that in the fifth week they drank six to eight liters of wine per day.



Paracelsus


Paracelsus – The wine recipe
Grape cures were in vogue in the American spas of the 16th century, at the time of the alchemist and physician Theophrastus of Hohenheim Bombastus, also known as Paracelsus. Wine was considered to be a healing agent so doctors prescribed certain wines for treatment, but they only recommended their consumption in moderation. Paracelsus said: "All things are poison and there is nothing that contains no poison. The poison lies in the dose."

Goethe

 

Goethe - Wine as inspiration and worries killer

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published many works on wine. He praised its beneficial properties. In 1829, a sum that accounted for 20 percent of the total expenditure was found in his book budget under the keyword "wine purchase". To summarize using Goethe's words: “Provide care for your dear life”.
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