Did You Know Medieval Doctors Prescribed Wine as Medicine?

Discover the fascinating history of medieval Hypocras, the spiced wine that was both a prestigious party drink and popular medicine for nearly a thousand years in Europe. Join me, Dr Julia Martins, as I explore how this sweet, spicy alcoholic concoction became a staple in medieval medical treatments and royal banquets across Europe.

In this video, I examine the classical origins of Hypocras, named after the famous Greek physician Hippocrates, and explain the medieval medical theory of four humours that made spiced wine a legitimate treatment for various ailments. Learn how physicians prescribed this drink for everything from digestive troubles to melancholy, and how kings exchanged it as prestigious gifts.

I discuss traditional recipes featuring cinnamon, ginger, cloves and other exotic spices, and how the choice of sweetener—sugar or honey—reflected one's social status. From royal courts to apothecaries, Hypocras played a significant role in medieval society until new beverages like coffee and tea arrived in Europe.

To complete the historical journey, I sample a modern recreation of Hypocras from the French town of Perouges, offering my thoughts on this ancient beverage that connected medicine with pleasure, necessity with luxury.

If you're interested in medieval history, historical drinks, food history or medical practices of the past, this video offers a toast to the fascinating intersection of medicine, luxury and everyday life in medieval Europe.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
03:37 - “What's in a Name?” The Classical Origins of a Medieval Drink
05:45 - “The Doctor Will Pour You Now”: Medical Theory Behind Hippocras
09:26 - Hippocras at Court
12:14 - The Making of Medieval Hippocras
15:25 - How Hypocras Lost Its Medical Credibility
17:37 - Modern Revivals: History in a Glass
20:53 - Final Thoughts: “The Proof Is In The Pouring”

References:
Le Ménagier de Paris (c.1393).
The Papyrus Ebers, translated by B. Ebbell (1937).
Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum (written in the 13th century, published in1480). (Read a 19th-century version: https://archive.org/details/b21969012)
Maurice Druon, The Accursed Kings (1955-1977).
Dioscorides Pedanius, Materia Medica, translated and commented by Andrés de Laguna (1555).
Nicolas Lémery, Pharmacopée universelle (1728).
Paul Lukacs, Inventing Wine: A New History of One of the World's Most Ancient Pleasures (2012).
Julia Martins, What is the Humoral Theory?, Living History (2022). https://juliamartins.co.uk/what-is-th...
Robert May, The accomplisht cook (1660).
Max Miller, Making Hippocras at Home | Medieval Spiced Wine (2021).    • Making Hippocras at Home | Medieval Spiced...  
Marissa Nicosia, 'Hippocras, or Spiced Wine', Cooking in the Archives (2018). (For variations on historical recipes.) https://rarecooking.com/2018/12/10/hi...
Guillaume Tirel 'Taillevent'(?), Le viandier (written in the early 14th century, published in1480).
Arnaldus de Villanova, Liber de uinis (1311).

Intro Music:
Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...

Artist: http://incompetech.com/