FACTArchive →
Europeans ate ground-up mummies as medicine — until 1924. ⚱️
FACT
@fact5
Creepy DiscoveriesAug 22, 2026

Europeans ate ground-up mummies as medicine — until 1924. ⚱️

Europeans ate ground-up mummies as medicine — until 1924. ⚱️ . . . For over 500 years, apothecaries across Europe sold 'mumia' — powdered human remains ground from Egyptian mummies — as a cure for bruises, epilepsy, and stomach pain. Merck's 1924 catalog still listed 'genuine Egyptian mummy' at 12 gold marks per kilogram. King Francis I of France carried a pouch of it daily.

Source
https://www.emdgroup.com/en/stories/powdered-mummies-used-as-medicine.html
Spot an error? Email hello@thefact5.com with a source — we correct visibly.
KEEP SCROLLING

More strange facts ✦