“There’s one [recipe] that was put together by a king of Pontus in Turkey named Mithridates,” says McGovern. “There’s 73 ingredients that go into it.”
To make this particular concoction, someone would need “flesh of vipers,” wine, opium, rhubarb, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, among other herbs and spices. Purportedly, this mixture would relieve symptoms like stomach weakness, difficulty breathing and perhaps even the plague itself.
“So, it was very important in the Middle Ages until it was finally shown to be not necessarily so effective,” says McGovern.
Throughout its ancient history, wine has been hailed for its curative properties / Credit: Bridgeman Images
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Genevie Durano Sat, Mar 13, 2021 (2 a.m.)
The theme song of an ’80s sitcom goes, “You take the good, you take the bad/You take them both and there you have/The facts of life.” The same can be said of our gut microbiome, the complex system comprising 300 to 500 species of good and bad bacteria that affects not just our digestive system but also has links to mental health, autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders, cancer and more.
Over the past couple of decades, scientists have amassed a wealth of knowledge about the gut, beyond that one long input/output tube that we think of as our digestive system. It turns out, there’s a whole lot going on in there, and paying attention to what we put in our bodies can greatly affect all of our other systems, from our ability to fight off disease to our moods.
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The pandemic has done a number on our stomachs. We’re mostly stuck at home whether working remotely or just staying safe in quarantine. And it’s too easy to just snack all day.
Rather than trying to accomplish the impossible ditch snacking altogether the
Weekly reached out to Samantha Coogan, the director of UNLV’s Didactic Program in Nutrition & Dietetics, for some expert snacking tips.
A teacher of community nutrition and food science, Coogan knows how the mind and body work when it comes to temptation. She advises against being too strict and attempting a full health overhaul in one fell swoop. When it comes to your kitchen, Coogan says, “stock it with items you’ll actually eat, not just foods you think you’re supposed to eat.”