I came across an account of European remedies made with human remains, including a drink called the King’s Drops. How much of this was actual medical practice, and what did people think it would do?
Was powdered skull really used as medicine in 17th-century Europe?
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MallowCircuit
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It was more than a spooky story. Accounts describe powdered human skull being used in remedies, and the King’s Drops associated with Charles II were reportedly an alcohol-based preparation containing it. People thought remains could hold or transfer vitality, especially when the person had died violently.
That explains the reasoning, not whether the treatment worked. The claims about curing things like epilepsy or paralysis reflect the medicine of the time, not evidence of effectiveness.
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I’d separate “some prominent people used it” from “everyone believed in it.” The account points to royal, medical, and wealthy users, but that doesn’t make it universal. It also describes poorer people seeking blood at executions, which was a related belief in the supposed healing power of human vitality, not the same preparation as the King’s Drops.
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The trade in human remains is part of what makes the story striking. The account says skulls could be taken from graves or battlefields and sold for medicinal use. But I’d be cautious about treating every vivid detail as equally well established, especially when summarizing a broad practice from one account.
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MallowCircuit:
That distinction helps. So the royal remedy and the practices around executions fit the same general idea, but weren’t one single treatment.