Powdered Toads for Seizures
In medieval Europe, epilepsy was considered a supernatural affliction—perhaps even demonic possession. One popular “cure” involved drying and powdering toads, then ingesting the remains or wearing them in pouches around the neck. Some variations even required burying a toad in a churchyard and digging it up later for maximum potency.
Needless to say, powdered amphibians had no effect on neurological disorders and introduced a host of other health risks, including bacterial infection and parasite exposure. The treatment was based more on superstition than science, reflecting a time when medicine blurred with mysticism. The real miracle? That anyone survived these “cures” at all.
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