A glimpse into the past

                              A glimpse into the past

• Early Egyptians created a compound for reversing baldness using the fat of crocodiles, goats, snakes, cats, lions and hippopotamus.
• The Romans had many techniques for dyeing the hair. They would use vinegar, berries, or crushed nutshells. They also used the henna , a plant that would produce a reddish brown dye. One of the stronger concoctions for dyeing hair was made from leeches mixed with vinegar. The mixture would be allowed to ferment and after two months they would apply to their hair. After letting it bake in the sun , it would turn the hair black.
• In the traditional Inca cuisine, different types of edible clays were used as ingredients in sauces. They provided an additional intake of minerals to the diet and also detoxification.
• In ancient Greece, sick people slept in ‘ medicine temples ‘ to dream about how to get better.
• In olden days live ant heads were used as stitches in surgery as mentioned in Sushruta samhita.
• Ancient Romans believed that lemons would provide an antidote for any and all poisons.
• Chocolate was used as a medicine during the eighteenth century. It was believed that chocolate could cure a stomach ache.
• Pretzels were invented by an Italian monk who used the treats as a bribe to get kids to memorize sciptures.
• It is believed that during the tenth century, Japanese Buddhists discovered tofu while on a missionary work in China. Vows taken by the Buddhists prevent them from eating meat, thus tofu became a nutritious dietary supplement. Over the years, the Japanese cultivated soybeans resulting in fine quality of tofu.
• Pumpkin carving was initially an Irish tradition.
• The game of marbles dates back to the Stone Age and is found in almost every culture.
• The game “ Snakes and Ladders” originated in India. Intially , the game was invented as a moral lesson to be taught to children about karma. People doing good works get elevated to higher realms through ladders and people doing bad actions are thrown down through the mouth of snakes into the lower regions. The game was earlier known as “Swarga patala”and “ Moksha patala”.