Wolves in Healing: Ancient Medical Treatments

by Kymberli Morris

Wolves have played many roles throughout history, but did you know they also played a role in many folk remedies?

For example, Pliny the Elder, a 1st Century Greek Scholar believed rubbing a baby’s gums with wolf teeth cured teething pain. In the 5th Century BC, Sextus Placitus thought the cure for insomnia was to place a wolf’s head beneath your pillow.

The Aztecs used wolf liver to treat melancholy (they also thought if they pricked themselves with a wolf tooth they could delay death).

In the Middle Ages, powdered wolf’s liver was thought to ease labor pains, the right forepaw of a wolf was tied around a sore throat to ease swelling and dried wolf meat was eaten to ease the pain of sore shins.

Aside from Pliny the Elder’s suggestion, absolutely none of the other remedies worked.