Before modern medicine gave us antibiotics, MRI machines, and WebMD-induced anxiety, humans had to get creative with healing. And by “creative,” we mean absolutely unhinged. Throughout history, people have put onions in their socks, drilled holes in their skulls, drunk turpentine, and gargled with urine — all in the name of health.
But here’s the fascinating part: some of these bizarre remedies actually have a kernel of scientific truth. Others are straight-up dangerous. Let’s dig into 5 of the wildest folk remedies humans have tried and find out what modern science has to say about each one.
1. Onion Socks: The Internet’s Favorite Cold Cure
The remedy: Slice a raw onion, place it in your socks before bed, and wake up cured of your cold or flu. This one has been bouncing around the internet for years, and it traces back to old Chinese reflexology and medieval plague beliefs — people used to place onions around their homes to “absorb” illness from the air.
What science says: There is zero evidence that onions can draw toxins through the soles of your feet. Your skin doesn’t work like that. The soles of your feet can’t selectively absorb beneficial compounds from a vegetable. That said, onions do contain quercetin, a flavonoid with genuine anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Eating onions can support immune function. But putting them in your socks? That’s just going to make your bedroom smell terrible.
Verdict: Harmless but useless. Eat your onions instead. Your roommate will also appreciate it.
2. Bloodletting & Leeches: Draining Your Way to Health
The remedy: Cut open a vein or attach leeches to drain “bad blood” from the body. For over 2,000 years, bloodletting was THE go-to medical treatment. Hippocrates endorsed it. Medieval barbers performed it (that’s why barber poles are red and white). George Washington’s doctors drained nearly 40% of his blood in his final hours — which almost certainly hastened his death.
What science says: As a general cure-all, bloodletting is dangerous nonsense. But here’s the plot twist: leeches made a legitimate medical comeback. The FDA approved medicinal leeches in 2004 for use in microsurgery. Leech saliva contains hirudin, a powerful anticoagulant that prevents blood clots and promotes blood flow to reattached fingers, toes, and skin grafts. Modern hospitals actually stock them.
Even more surprising: therapeutic phlebotomy (controlled blood removal) is the standard treatment for hemochromatosis, a condition where the body stores too much iron. So the medieval barbers weren’t entirely wrong — just wildly imprecise about who needed it and why.
Verdict: The old way was reckless and deadly. But leeches? Legitimately useful in modern medicine.
3. Drinking Turpentine: The “Internal Cleanse” That Could Kill You
The remedy: Swallow a spoonful of turpentine or kerosene to kill intestinal parasites, cure infections, or “clean the blood.” This practice was disturbingly common in rural America and parts of the Caribbean well into the 20th century. Some people still advocate for it online today.
What science says: This is extremely dangerous. Full stop. Turpentine is a hydrocarbon solvent derived from pine resin. Ingesting it can cause chemical burns to your mouth, throat, and esophagus, aspiration pneumonia (if even a tiny amount enters your lungs), kidney damage, liver failure, and central nervous system depression. The lethal dose can be as low as 15 mL for a child.
Poison control centers across the US still receive calls about turpentine ingestion. The National Capital Poison Center explicitly warns that there is no safe dose for internal consumption. The fact that some people survived this “remedy” doesn’t mean it’s safe — it means they got lucky.
Verdict: Never do this. Ever. If you suspect parasites, see an actual doctor.
4. Urine Therapy: Yes, People Really Did (And Still Do) This
The remedy: Drink your own urine, apply it to your skin, or use it as eye drops to cure everything from acne to cancer. Urine therapy (urotherapy) has roots in ancient Hindu texts (Shivambu Kalpa), ancient Roman dental hygiene (they used urine as mouthwash for its ammonia content), and traditional Chinese medicine.
What science says: Urine is a waste product. That’s literally its entire purpose — your kidneys filter out what your body doesn’t want. There is no credible scientific evidence that drinking urine provides any health benefit. While urine is mostly water and is sterile when it leaves the kidneys, it can pick up bacteria in the urinary tract. It also contains metabolic waste products like urea, creatinine, and ammonia.
The American Cancer Society specifically states that “available scientific evidence does not support claims that urine therapy can treat cancer.” Drinking concentrated waste products puts extra strain on your kidneys — the very organs that just worked to remove them. It’s like taking out the trash and then eating it for dinner.
Verdict: Gross, pointless, and potentially harmful. Drink water instead.
5. Trepanation: Drilling Holes in Your Skull for Headaches
The remedy: Drill or scrape a hole in the skull to release evil spirits, cure headaches, or treat mental illness. Trepanation is the oldest known surgical procedure in human history. Archaeological evidence shows it was practiced as far back as 7,000 years ago. Skulls with trepanation holes have been found on every inhabited continent. The wild part? Many of these skulls show signs of bone regrowth, meaning patients actually survived the procedure.
What science says: Primitive trepanation for “evil spirits” is obviously not evidence-based medicine. But modern neurosurgery uses a version of it every single day. A craniotomy — temporarily removing a section of skull to access the brain — is a standard procedure for treating brain tumors, hemorrhages, and traumatic brain injuries. The difference? Modern surgeons use sterile tools, anesthesia, imaging technology, and actually know what they’re looking for.
There’s also decompressive craniectomy, where a piece of skull is removed to relieve dangerous intracranial pressure after severe brain swelling. So the fundamental idea — “open the skull to relieve pressure” — was weirdly ahead of its time. The execution just needed about 7,000 years of refinement.
Verdict: The ancient version was terrifying and often deadly. But the core concept? It evolved into life-saving neurosurgery.
🌟 Bonus: 3 More Remedies That’ll Make You Grateful for Modern Medicine
- Mercury for syphilis: For centuries, doctors treated syphilis with mercury — as pills, ointments, or vapor baths. It caused mercury poisoning (tooth loss, organ failure, madness) often worse than the disease itself. The saying “a night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury” became darkly famous.
- Arsenic for beauty: Victorian women consumed small doses of arsenic to achieve pale, luminous skin. It “worked” because arsenic destroys red blood cells, causing anemia-induced paleness. Side effects included organ failure and death. Beauty standards: always wild.
- Tobacco smoke enemas: In the 1700s, blowing tobacco smoke into a drowning victim’s rectum was considered standard resuscitation. Kits were hung along the Thames River in London like modern defibrillators. This is literally where the phrase “blowing smoke up your a**” comes from.
The Bottom Line
Human history is full of remedies that range from “surprisingly ahead of their time” to “what were they thinking.” The pattern is clear: when we didn’t understand how the body worked, we filled the gaps with superstition, desperation, and some truly wild experiments.
Some folk remedies — like leeches and trepanation — contained a grain of truth that modern medicine eventually refined. Others — like drinking turpentine or mercury baths — were just slow-motion poison. The lesson? Always check what science actually says before trying any “natural cure” you find on the internet. Your ancestors didn’t have that luxury. You do.
📚 Sources
- Ernst, E. “Bloodletting: The story of a therapeutic fashion.” Journal of Medical Biography, 2010.
- Whitaker, I. S., et al. “Hirudo medicinalis and the plastic surgeon.” British Journal of Plastic Surgery, 2004.
- National Capital Poison Center. “Turpentine: Not for internal use.” poison.org, 2023.
- American Cancer Society. “Unproven methods: Urotherapy.” CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2008.
- Gross, C. G. “A Hole in the Head: A History of Trepanation.” MIT Press, 2003.