In ancient China, where the elixir tradition was first recorded, tribal shamans, or “medicine men,” believed that mountain mists contained potent amounts of qi (chi) or vital essence, and that by ingesting herbs grown on mountains, sickly humans might replenish their supply of essential life-energy and recover from spiritual and physical disease.
Over time, the written Chinese character for “sorcery” was altered to mean both “wine” and “doctor,” symbolizing the belief that alcohol-based herbal formulas remedied a variety of conditions. The doctor-wine association proved to be remarkably accurate: the alcohol that results from fermenting fruits and grains extracts out the essence of herbs, and these herbal concentrations, or elixirs, are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.
Numerous other civilizations also closely studied nature and developed elaborate systems to benefit from its healing attributes. Vegetable and fruit juices gained prominence in the Indian Ayurvedic medical tradition for their ability to speed recovery from illness. By A.D. 70 in ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder was recommending over fifty herbal concoctions as cures for everything from scorpion stings to mad dog bites. During Europe’s Dark Ages, Benedictine monks and other monastic orders distilled liqueurs that were often infused with herbs and drunk as medicines. Starting in the sixteenth century, the Europeans who settled the New World brought with them plant-based curatives that soon became entwined with Native American remedies in both North and South America.
The rich tradition of elixirs was damaged by the traveling “snake oil” salesmen of the nineteenth century. Originally, snake oil hadn’t such illegitimate connotation. Brought to America by Chinese immigrants, Omega-3-rich snake oil offered relief from such chronic complaints as arthritis. But the popularity of natural elixirs encouraged the production of worthless and even harmful potions. Most of them were simply cheap grain alcohol.
Elixirs have come full circle in our time. Offering relief in both cold and hot form, these natural herbal treatments do their good work by muting the symptoms of illness and helping to bring your system back into balance. By any name, and at any proof, elixirs have long since woven their way into the fabric of most societies, still providing us with safe and effective alternatives to over-the-counter medicines.
Image: motograf
Source: Wise Concoctions (reprinted with permission)