The Black Death is thought to have wiped out about one third of Europe’s population between 1328 and 1351. Victims of the plague would often die within a few days and the horrific symptoms would make these final days absolutely terrible. High fever, severe vomiting, and bleeding from the lungs were all very common, and victims’ bodies would usually be covered with gruesome boils. When the plague ravaged Europe, desperate sufferers turned to a slew of crazy cures that were as bizarre as the disease itself.
10 Aromatherapy and Pomanders
One of the few treatments that somehow survived into modern times was aromatherapy – the use of pleasant smells to “cure” ailments. In the 14th century, people were instructed to carry sweet‑smelling flowers wherever they went, and if flowers were unavailable, packets of herbs were deemed acceptable. The French elite even popularized the pomander, a ball of perfume that they believed could ward off the foul air thought to carry the disease. Closing windows to keep the “bad” wind out was another common practice. Spoiler: it didn’t work then, and it still doesn’t work now.
9 Religious Flagellation and Divine Acceptance
In a world where religion permeated every aspect of life, many turned to divine explanations and punishments. Some Muslims were told to accept the plague as God’s will, while devout Catholics in Europe took to the roads to whip themselves, crying out for mercy. The logic was simple: if the Almighty was punishing you, you might as well add self‑inflicted pain to the mix.
8 Treacle (Aged Syrup) Therapy
Treacle – a thick by‑product of sugar production – was often handed to the sick, but only if it had aged for at least ten years. The sticky, foul‑smelling syrup was believed to combat the plague’s effects and even purge the body of the disease. There is a grain of sense in the idea: over a decade, molds and yeasts could develop, potentially offering some antimicrobial activity. Nonetheless, swallowing decades‑old treacle was undoubtedly an unpleasant experience.
7 Sewer Stench Therapy
When people finally realized the Black Death could travel through the air, some took the bizarre step of living in foul‑smelling sewers. The belief was that the pungent odor of rotting waste would repel the disease‑laden air. Unsurprisingly, this strategy failed spectacularly, and many who sought refuge in the sewers succumbed to other illnesses instead.
6 Leeches Bloodletting
Bloodletting was a staple across Europe for everything from gout to goiter, and the plague was no exception. Wealthier patients could afford leeches, which attached themselves to a vein and drew blood with minimal pain. The poor, however, faced the more brutal method: a blade was forced into a vein, and blood was drained into a bowl. Without anesthesia or proper sanitation, the procedure was excruciating and often led to severe infections.
5 Crushed Emerald Powder
Another posh remedy involved grinding emeralds into a fine powder. This glittering dust was mixed with liquid, incorporated into food, or swallowed outright. The taste and texture reportedly resembled crushed glass, making it a truly dreadful experience. While today’s billionaires might indulge in gold‑infused diets, back then the emerald powder was a desperate attempt to harness the stone’s perceived healing powers.
4 Urine Baths and Drinks
Urine enjoyed a surprisingly good reputation in medieval Europe. Plague victims were sometimes bathed in urine several times a day to alleviate symptoms. Even more extreme, a glass of freshly collected urine was offered as a medicinal drink. Non‑infected members of the public would gather the liquid and sell it to the sick, much like we might offer orange juice to a convalescent today. (Modern science still uses urine in some niche treatments, but not for the plague.)
3 Poop Paste for Sores
Doctors of the era also concocted a paste made from tree resins, flower roots, and human feces. They would cut open the buboes – the painful swellings characteristic of the disease – and apply the repulsive mixture, then tightly wrap the wound to keep the paste inside. The logic was that the mixture somehow drew out the infection, though the stench alone was enough to make you wonder if the plague itself was the real culprit.
2 Live Chicken Wound Rub
Enter the Vicary Method, named after English physician Thomas Vicary. The bizarre protocol called for shaving a hen’s rear end and strapping the live bird onto a patient’s swollen lymph nodes. The chicken would stay attached until it fell ill, at which point it was washed and the process repeated. This strange chicken‑host ritual spread far and wide, with followers even holding an annual lecture in Vicary’s honor at the Royal College of Surgeons.
1 Crazy Cures: Purge the Earth of Jews and Other Wild Remedies
Perhaps the most severe “cure” was the mass persecution of Jews, whom some blamed for the disease. Governors rounded up Jewish communities, locked them inside their homes, and set the buildings ablaze. Thousands perished in these tragic acts, which were later condemned by Pope Clement VI, who ordered clergy to protect Jews wherever possible and declared that all plague victims were forgiven of their sins.
When the situation grew even more desperate, people resorted to throwing anything they could think of at the plague: drinking arsenic or mercury, avoiding thoughts about death, abstaining from figs, meat, exercise, bathing, sleeping during the day, and even abstaining from sex. In short, they imposed the most restrictive, nonsensical regimen imaginable, hoping some bizarre rule might break the disease’s grip.