Bar-to-Grocery Store Ratio (via Consumerist)
Ancient Alcoholic Medicines
The earliest sample of human-made medicine was discovered in Egypt:
A team of researchers in the US has discovered traces of a medicinal alcoholic drink in bottles that are more than 5,000 years old. The scientists extracted wine compounds and plant-derived ingredients from a jar taken from the tomb of one of the first pharaohs of Egypt, Scorpion I.
How did they do it?
The team used organic solvents to extract residues from inside the jars. With extremely sensitive chemical techniques, they were then able to separate the different compounds within the residue. The jars tested positive for tartaric acid - a reliable chemical marker for grape and wine in the Middle East. The scientists also found compounds from a number of herbs, some of which have known medicinal properties, and from tree resin. Professor McGovern pointed out that alcoholic drinks would have been ideal for dissolving these plant-derived substances.
