From ancient times, Armenia has earned a reputation as a country with “rich medical and medicinal resources.” This is evidenced by ancient authors such as Xenophon in “Anabasis,” Tacitus in “Annals,” Dioscorides in “Materia Medica,” and many others. Ancient and medieval Armenian authors also paid great attention to this issue and left many works, including Agathangelos, Lazar Parpetsi, Grigor Magistros, and many others.
Many cities in ancient Armenia were centers of medical knowledge. For example, the city of Erzinke (in High Armenia) was known in ancient times as a “city of healthy living” and was a center of pagan medicine. Later, cities like Kapan, Ghladzor, and others also became known for their medical knowledge. The goddess Ast(h)ik, analogous to the Greek goddesses Hygieia and Culina, was considered the patroness of health, hygiene, and culinary arts. Around the same time, Armenians also had a cult of worshiping hormone-like herbs.
The ancient Armenians knew a great variety of medicinal herbs and knew how to use them wisely. Below are some wild herbs, rare to the average person’s ear, used in national Armenian cuisine and medicinal nutrition. Many of them were specially cultivated in medicinal “cultural gardens.” For example, herbs of “noble bitterness” such as elecampane, chicory, black cumin, bryony, calamus, graveyard moss, and araynik.
Additionally, herbs like opopanax, sparrow grass, dyer’s alkanet, heliotrope, puncture vine, horehound, colocynth, and many others were cultivated. All table greens were used for medical purposes, including coriander, fennel, hyssop, dill, mustard, horseradish, basil, parsley, cress, celery, and fenugreek. In both cuisine and medicine, not only the greens and roots but also the seeds of the plants were used.
During the reigns of various Armenian dynasties (Artashesids, Arsacids, Bagratids, Rubenids, Lusignans), the state bore direct responsibility not only for the health of its army but also for the nation as a whole. It should be added that at the state level, there was also interest and care for “magnificent civilized medicinal gardens.”
Armenian King Valarsak, who lived in the 2nd century BC, first took measures to improve his lands, particularly the marshy areas of Tayk and Kogh. After completing the reclamation work, he ordered the establishment of herbal, medicinal, “cultural” gardens, and fruit and berry medicinal orchards and forests. The Armenian ruler also established a special “medicinal garden” position. The official responsible for this area of activity was called “bastanji.”
A knowledgeable professional bastanji had to possess the expertise of a pharmacognosist, botanist, soil scientist, meliorator, and chemist. Additionally, they retained the authority to manage these royal medicinal estates! Lazar Parpetsi writes: “…there (in Ayrarat; ed. S.N.) they found the roots of various plants used, according to the art and knowledge of knowledgeable doctors (“bzhshkapetov” – ancient Armenian), as medicines or quickly healing plasters.”
The Armenian vardapet Tovma Artsruni wrote: “… King Artashes (late 2nd century – early 1st century BC) planted a garden of various flowering, fragrant plants around the fortress in the city of Artamet … for the preparation of medicines from them … invented by curious doctors, according to the teachings of Asclepius.” Medicinal plants endemic to the Armenian flora were part of the famous “theriac” composed by the Pontic king Mithridates Eupator. It is known that he was a skilled toxicologist of antiquity and invented various poisons and antidotes. Mithridates Eupator had a well-equipped, for its time, personal serpentarium.
In many medieval medical sources – Indian, Coptic, Syrian, Armenian, as well as Jewish, Greek, Arab, and Slavic (in Russia these books were called “eastern vertograds,” according to Bogoyavlensky N.), the names of regions and cities of Armenia are mentioned. These areas were famous for their medicinal herbs and remedies, and the doctors practicing there were knowledgeable. Herbs growing in Armenian territories were in great demand and served as an export item in the Armenian economy.
For example, pharmacopoeias from other countries (as well as other regions of Armenia) pre-ordered various concoctions for manufacture and delivery. They bought herbs and ready-made medicines in the well-known port cities of Cilician Armenia – Sis and Tarsus. From the regions of Armenian Cappadocia, they delivered mumiyo, various gums, camel thorn, special medicinal stones (“karatherapy” – ancient Armenian; “stonetherapy” – Latin), and others.
From Amasia (the homeland of the famous medieval scientist Amirdovlat Amasiatsi), they brought the innards of giant catfish for the composition of complex medicines. Earlier, a recipe for such a medicine was described by Strabo (who was also a native of Amasia). Xenophon in his “Anabasis” admired many Armenian food products and medicinal remedies.
In addition to “fragrant Armenian wine, beer, sesame and almond oils,” he also mentions an important medicinal raw material – high-quality “Armenian turpentine (turpentine).” Tacitus describes in his “Annals” Armenian village (folk) remedies that successfully heal severe wounds. Dioscorides in “Materia Medica” talks about the medicinal plants of the Armenian flora.
“The best amomum is Armenian; it is golden in color, with yellowish wood and a rather pleasant smell.” Pliny the Elder in “Natural History” notes that Armenia in ancient times was the homeland of valuable gum-bearing plants, including the famous laser or silphium (“Lazerpitium” in Latin). Silphium was highly valued by the Romans as an effective remedy for many diseases (especially impotence).
Armenian pharmaco/phyto/medical expeditions were funded by many monarchs, Armenian, European, and even Muslim. For example, Sultan Mehmed II allocated significant funds for these purposes to his “bastanji-pasha” (court physician), the talented Armenian scientist and doctor Amirdovlat Amasiatsi. Armenian doctors brought various medicinal remedies from different expeditions. Special expeditions were sent to the Ararat Plateau. They brought unique endemic herbs and pieces of the well-preserved Noah’s Ark.
Many doctors of that time believed that the surviving resin of the sacred ship helped in treating various diseases. In addition, it was also used to make amulets “… using it, in most cases, as a remedy against diseases.” This was testified by ancient scholars such as Josephus Flavius, Alexander Polyhistor, Abiden, and others. Christian historians such as Eusebius of Caesarea, Moses of Chorene, and others also mentioned these facts.
From the Shimakhan and Shirvan estates (“hayrenik” in ancient Armenian), Armenian bush (“ermini bush” in ancient Armenian) and pandanus were supplied. Greek clay was brought from the island of Samos. From Egypt and the Maghreb, the ash of medicinal trees, “Pharaoh’s herbs,” frankincense, and gums were delivered. Armenian merchants were also ordered to procure the expensive balsam tree (“Palasani” in ancient Armenian; “Bakasamon” in ancient Greek; “Commiphora opobalsamum Engl” in Latin), which was in great demand among priests, doctors, and astrologers.
From Africa, “Memphis stone,” gum acacias, African red clay, and white sand were supplied to Armenia, Greece, and Rome (the sand was sewn into bags, heated, and used to treat sciatica, rhinitis, etc.). Some Armenian doctors (from the period of the rise of Christianity) specifically received blessings from priests and went for the most valuable endemic plants to the “Promised Land.”
Merchants specializing in the delivery of medicinal raw materials received a “special order” from the bastanji-pasha for one important medicinal plant. This was dodder (“Cuscuta epithymum L. Myrr” in Latin). “No anti-cancer drug is complete without its presence.” Dodder was also added to applications used for tumor diseases. Armenian doctors (and court physicians of other states, including) ordered another medicinal plant that was part of the remedies prepared for high-ranking individuals.
This unique herb, known for its healing properties, was called “Job’s tears” (“Coix jobi L./Cramineae” in Latin) at that time. In ancient Armenian manuscripts, it is referred to as “umitarien.” Amirdovlat Amasiatsi writes that “it (the plant) grows in Jerusalem, in the courtyard of the Church of the Resurrection, as well as outside the courtyard.”
According to medieval doctors, this plant helped with many serious diseases—abdominal tumors, liver diseases, dropsy, eczema, dog and snake bites. Although other sources report that this plant is widespread in China, Japan, and India. In general, herbs, salts, and balms brought from “the lands where the Lord himself walked” were in great demand even among non-believers.
Enormous attention was paid to gerontology and the treatment of “senile diseases” (cerebral atherosclerosis, senility, weakened vision and hearing, incontinence, osteoporosis, etc.). Armenia, especially its mountainous regions, has long been considered a country of long-livers, which was largely due to physical culture skills, an abundance of active games for children and adults, as well as medicinal and dietary habits passed down from generation to generation.
In addition, it should be noted that with the adoption of Christianity, a wide range of laws was also adopted that contributed to the hygiene, health, and longevity of the Armenian nation as a whole. Armenians took hygiene very seriously. During the early Christian period, leprosariums already existed in Armenia. For example, Princess Agvida Salahuni (wife of nakharar Suren Salahuni) opened the world’s first leprosarium with 35 beds in 260 AD.
In 365 AD, at the Ashtishat Council, the Armenian Apostolic Church decided to open leprosariums and hospitals (“bzhshkanots” in ancient Armenian) throughout Armenia, as well as to exempt pharmacies and medical institutions from taxes. This proposal was fully supported by the secular authorities of the country. Meanwhile, in enlightened Europe, lepers were at best expelled from the settlement, at worst—killed, and leprosariums appeared 300 years later.
At monasteries, free “poor pharmacies,” almshouses, and hospitals for the treatment of the needy were rapidly built. These charitable institutions existed on donations from the powerful and the middle class, who could contribute to their maintenance. In the territory of Byzantium, Armenian Chalcedonians opened the first hospital (“Basilea” in Latin) as early as the 4th century.
Dentistry was at a fairly high level. Dental prosthetics existed since ancient times, and oral sanitation was also given considerable attention. After meals, servants brought vessels with herbal rinses for the mouth. Teeth were cleaned with a special brush with ash from pumpkin or eggplant skins with salt, and from the late 14th to early 15th centuries, scrapers for cleaning the surface of the tongue appeared. Incidentally, Armenian medicine introduced Armenian healing clay (“bolus” in ancient Armenian), borax, and ammonia into the medical practice of other peoples.
By law, an Armenian doctor did not have the right to refuse medical assistance even to a beggar. If this, God forbid, happened, the doctor was deprived of his diploma and practice, and no one would shake his hand. It should be added that Armenia adopted the “Code of the Armenian Doctor.” It was developed by the great Armenian scientist Amirdovlat Amasiatsi (15th century).
Another luminary of Armenian science, Mkhitar Heratsi (12th century), author of many medical works and creator of national music therapy (see “Consolation for Fevers”), wrote a work on occupational diseases (blacksmiths, glassblowers, etc.), which was 300 years ahead of the European doctor Bernardino Ramazzini.
The breakthrough in gerontology of that time was also due to the fact that Armenian medicine had powerful phytotherapeutic agents for its time. For example, the milky juice and fruits of emblic myrobalans (“Emblica officinalis Gaertn L.” in Latin) could significantly slow down the aging process. It has been proven that myrobalans strengthen the nervous system, heart, hair follicles, “maintain mental acuity,” increase sexual strength and hormonal activity in the elderly. Myrobalans were used to produce oil for medicinal purposes. The fruits were also used for tanning leather.
In the preparation of gerontological medicines, plants were used, most of which belonged to highly active botanical families in terms of medicinal properties: Apiceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae. The gum resins of plants from the Apiaceae family were of particular importance in Armenian gerontology. First and foremost, this included ferula (indications: memory loss, decreased intelligence, paresis, paralysis, decreased visual and auditory acuity).
In medieval Armenian geriatrics, the medicinal properties of plants from the Liliaceae family were highly valued: onion, sea onion (squill), aloe, lilies. Therefore, to prevent and treat senile ailments, Armenian bzhshkapetov recommended a simple and accessible medicinal remedy to their patients—onion (Allium cepa L.). It contains essential sulfide oil, flavonoid quercetin, iodine, vitamins C, B1, B2, pro-A.
Onion juice also contains a prostaglandin-like substance with hypotensive action, which is of great value from the point of view of gerontogenesis. For the same indications, the fruits and milky juice of wild and garden figs (Ficus carica L.) were used in Armenian geriatrics. The fruits, leaves, and juice of figs contain proteolytic enzymes (indicated for cataracts), vitamins B1, B2, P, E, A. Rosehip, viburnum, sea buckthorn, cherry, barberry, walnuts, and others were also indicated for these ailments.
Thus, in ancient and medieval Armenian medicine, in the gerontological aspect, many plant species rich in alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, hormone-like substances, and vitamins, which have anti-inflammatory, anti-sclerotic, and bactericidal properties, were widely used.
Plant hormones and vitamins contained in these plants have a beneficial effect on hormonal imbalance, reducing oxidation, which is characteristic of the aging body. A system of treatment and medicinal nutrition with various seeds of fruits, vegetables, flowers, spicy herbs, and wild herbs was developed. This is written about by Armenian ancient, early Christian, and medieval authors.
Moreover, both the church and secular authorities strongly encouraged the observance of weekly and other Christian fasts. Armenian doctors, for the most part, were strictly devout people and primarily explained to their patients that illness was merely a consequence. They tried to explain that the root cause of diseases was the failure to observe God’s Commandments, as well as the unwillingness (or laziness) to go to church—to confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
This, in essence, is the main spiritual factor of health. Also taken into account were the vital moral principles for a Christian described in the New Testament: love of goodness, humility, meekness, and suppression of self. All kinds of lust, especially pedophilia, sodomy, and incest, gluttony, greed, profiteering from money lent at interest, offending pregnant women, widows, and orphans, etc. And only after this important introduction was the therapeutic (from a physiological point of view) factor of disease treatment discussed. This also influenced the health of the nation as a whole and bore fruit.
Modern scientists also believe that the human body should periodically be relieved from heavy “modern” food, saturated with growth hormones, synthetic additives, and vegetable fats (coconut and palm oils, which kill capillaries). Incidentally, Japanese biochemists have concluded that eating canned food provokes the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, in our time, fasting is also highly recommended for physical health.
The dietary habits of the Armenian ethnic group contributed to this factor—meat was eaten only on major holidays and during the “Matagh” ritual. They tried to replace red meat with poultry, fish, mushrooms, nuts (baked goods, legumes, and nut porridges). In everyday life, Armenians consumed a variety of products belonging to the class of aphrodisiacs.
Many varieties of table greens and wild herbs. Also, the fruits of many tree-like shrubs were used for cosmetic, culinary, and medicinal purposes. Rosehip, rowan, viburnum, sea buckthorn, elderberry, juniper, barberry. Rhubarb, licorice, wild herbs, honey, nuts, seeds. Vegetables—carrots, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers.
Natalia Sobol, historian of Armenian studies
Sources:
- Abramyan A. “Manuscript Treasures of Matenadaran,” Yerevan, “ARMGOSIZDAT,” 1959, par. 10, “Most Valuable Medical Manuscripts,” pp. 82-92.
- Amirdovlat Amasiatsi “Useless for the Ignorant,” /”Scientific Heritage”/, Moscow, “Nauka,” 1990, vol. XIII, pp. 56, 88, 91, 114, 130-134, 135, 139, 141, 187, 220, 222, 229, 293-294, 354-355, 366, 369, 380-381, 409, 435, 442-445, 468, 462, 477, 495, 520-522, 549-552, 571, etc., /series founded by S. Vavilov in 1948. Resumed in 1980./
- Eusebius of Caesarea “Church History,” /comp./ 1818, pp. 1, 3, 15-18, 57-58.
- Collection “Scientific Materials of Matenadaran,” vol. II, pp. 81, 189, par. 1119, 23; par. 2574; pp. 85, 107.
- Sobol N. “About Armenian History, Food, and More…”, 2012, ch. 4.5, pp. 218-222.
- Flavius J. “The Jewish War,” Minsk, “Belarus,” 1991, pp. 54-55, 487 /translated from German by Chertke L., 1900, St. Petersburg./
- Josephus Flavius, 1961, pp. 42-47.
- Schnabel, pp. 42-47.
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