Since hearing about the meadowsweet flowers discovered in Perth I have been researching to find out what other pollens and flowers have been found in ancient burial sites. Shanidar Cave,… Read More
Tag: history
4000 year old “aspirin” flowers found in Bronze Age grave, Forteviot, Perthshire?
Meadowsweet flowers found in a Bronze Age grave were reported as proof of a “floral tribute”. Monica Wilde suggests the reason was not sentimental but practical – the person buried may have suffered from joint aches and pains – possibly arthritis. Meadowsweet and birch bark contain salicylates on which modern aspirin was modelled. Both plants are still used in British herbal medicine to this day.