Gone Medieval: "Lizard Shampoo, Potions & Remedies"

Podcast: Gone Medieval (History Hit)
Host: Dr. Eleanor Janega
Guest: Professor James Palmer, University of St Andrews
Date: November 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Eleanor Janega welcomes back Professor James Palmer to explore the wild, weird, and surprisingly global world of early medieval health and beauty practices. Drawing on brand-new research, they discuss the uncovering of nearly 200 previously unknown medical manuscripts scattered unexpectedly across Europe—and what these discoveries reveal about medieval life. From bizarre beauty hacks like lizard shampoo to the scientific underpinnings (and superstitions) of "wellness" regimens, the conversation challenges stereotypes about the so-called "Dark Ages." Expect lively banter, sharp historical insights, and a generous helping of medieval oddities.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Rewriting What We Know About Medieval Medicine

• Doubling the Source Material
  • The team identified 198 new early medieval manuscripts with medical content, more than doubling the previously known corpus.
  • These were often found in "unexpected places"—not just in medical tomes but as marginalia in calendars, theology, grammar, and science books. [06:54]
• Global, Connected Middle Ages
  • Evidence of recipe ingredients sourced as far as Sri Lanka and Indonesia upends the myth of medieval insularity.
  • Manuscripts reflect vibrant networks of exchange, curiosity, and practical experimentation:

    “Early Middle Ages, it's the Dark Ages, people are stupid...Well, they don't have many books about, but they are desperately trying to find stuff out. And I love that.” —Professor James Palmer [09:39]

2. Medical Snobbery & The Problem with Latin Medicine

• Historiographical Bias
  • Past scholars dismissed Latin medical texts as "medicine for dummies," favoring Greek sources.
  • The team argues medieval Latin medicine had unique value and sophistication, especially for widespread, everyday use. [11:40]
• Transmission and Authority
  • Reliance on names like Hippocrates or Pythagoras lent texts legitimacy, even as anonymous remedies abounded.

    "If you see a name, it's good stuff." —Professor James Palmer [30:58]

3. Regimens, Prevention, and Holistic Care

• Prevention Above Cure
  • Manuscripts overflow with year-long guides and month-by-month health recommendations, including:
    • What to eat or avoid (e.g., “don’t eat cabbage in August”)
    • When to fast or bathe
    • Balancing lifestyle with the seasons per Hippocratic humoral theory [21:25]
  • The wellness influencer of their age?

    “They were just as concerned with beauty, health and seasonal wellness as today’s average tiktoker.” —Podcast Host [02:35]

4. Prognostication, Calendars, and Astrological Health

• Sphere of Pythagoras & Prognostic Tools
  • Medieval folk used calculation tools (e.g., spelling out an illness, running the letters through a number game) to predict who would live or die.

    “These are very dramatic. The totals at the top: you live. The bottom: you die.” —Professor James Palmer [24:09]

• Calendrical Superstitions
  • "Egyptian days," dog days, and moon phases marked auspicious or unlucky times for healing, bloodletting, and more. [44:53]
• Astronomy as Science, Not Superstition
  • Prognosis based on observable lunar and stellar cycles tied to a genuine quest for patterns in nature, not mere gullibility:

    “It's not about being gullible...They can avoid being gullible, just like make decisions based on sound knowledge.” —Professor James Palmer [48:50]

5. Remedies, Beauty Hacks & Animal Ingredients

• The Lizard Shampoo!
  • Recipe discovered in a British Library calendar:

    “For flowing hair: cover the whole head with fresh summer savory and salt and vinegar, and then rub it with the ashes of a burnt green lizard mixed with oil.” [35:09]

    • Not widespread—possibly recorded for its novelty.
    • Salts, vinegar, and (non-lizard) ingredients are still used in modern beauty routines.
• Other Animal-Based Remedies
  • Examples: crow eggs for hair dye, vulture skulls for migraines, vulture eyes for eye pain (wrapped in a fox pelt).
    • “It's a very farmyard kind of thing.” —Professor James Palmer [41:22]
  • Vet medicine often intertwined; little distinction between treatments for animals and people.

6. Charms, Prayers, and Blurred Religious Boundaries

• Incantations, Charms in Health
  • Incantations, prayers, or spoken charms over herbs appear throughout medical manuscripts.
• Christianity, Paganism, and Folk Practice
  • The line between orthodox Christian prayer and "superstitious" ritual is often indistinct.

    "A lot of medicine...is neither one thing or the other. If you've just got something that says get some cinnamon and mix it with wine and honey and then drink it at nighttime, that just sounds like a nice drink." —Professor James Palmer [56:48]

• Ritual Elements as 'Wellness’
  • Actions or words may have created a psychological boost, supporting recovery through faith or familiar ritual.

7. Effectiveness of Medieval Remedies

• Recurring use of ingredients like honey, cinnamon, peppermint, and licorice suggests empirical effectiveness—many have antibacterial or soothing properties even today.

  "The commonality of use...does rather speak to people have tried this and it seemed to work, or it worked sometimes, but not every time." —Professor James Palmer [59:52]

• Modern pharmacology trials have found some medieval recipes are effective against modern ailments (e.g., bacterial infections).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the thrill of archival discovery:

  “You set off and you don’t know what you’re going to find...It’s exciting when it’s clear some people are traveling about...They find something and just add it down with whatever book they have to hand.” —Professor James Palmer [05:41]

• On practical monks:

  "Who needs voluminous, flowing hair when we're shaving our pate?...Who's out here with a hair care routine for Brother Adolphus? I don't know." —Podcast Host [37:34]

• On skepticism about health authorities:

  "Don't be gullible, don't take stuff just because a doctor tells you. Learn it. Learn what herbs do...there are con people out there." —Professor James Palmer [48:50]

• On superstitious nonsense:

  “We would underestimate how much of our medicine also has a little bit of superstitious nonsense in it. It's not like these people were idiots and we're super clever." —Professor James Palmer [61:39]

Important Timestamps

• [06:54] — Manuscripts found in unlikely places; building the catalog.
• [09:39] — Medieval curiosity and knowledge networks.
• [11:40] — Historiographical snobbery and the reputation of Latin medicine.
• [21:25] — Year-long guides for health; preventive routines.
• [24:09] — The Sphere of Pythagoras and prognostic tools.
• [35:09] — Lizard shampoo recipe detailed.
• [41:22] — Animal-based remedies (and absence of leeches).
• [44:53] — Prognostic calendars: "Egyptian days" explained.
• [54:33] — Charms, prayers, and the blurred line between Christianity and superstition.
• [59:52] — Empirical effectiveness of recurring remedies.
• [62:06] — Plans for the research: translations, public engagement, and more.

Next Steps & Research Impact

• Palmer and team aim to make source materials more accessible with translations, commentary, blog posts, and future podcasts.
• The findings reshape perceptions of the Middle Ages as globally connected and medically curious, challenging outdated myths of ignorance and stagnation.

  "We want to make this kind of public knowledge. What they find interesting will probably help guide where we take it next." [62:06]

In summary:
This episode is a spirited deep dive into the ingenuity, creativity, and often humorous side of medieval health and beauty. It reminds us that medieval people were resourceful, networked, and more like us than we often think—concerned with looking good, feeling well, and (sometimes) experimenting with lizard-based shampoo.