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“Apart from its strictly scientific and scholarly value, the medical universe of ancient Egypt had another—and no less fundamental—dimension. This was the ‘anthropological’ aspect, that quality thanks to which body and mind, illness and tradition, individual and society were all interconnected within a holistic healing context. For that reason, ancient Egyptian medicine, like so many other African medical ‘traditions’ of our own times, was eminently psycho-somatic.”
“Every scholar writing on ancient Egyptian medicine has felt compelled to highlight its complex, vibrant character, in which scientific, magical and religious practices combined to produce an effective therapeutic system. For the range of resources available to the practicing sau (who, in addition to being a veritable medical practitioner, might also be a magician, exorcist, healer, witch doctor, etc.), included the power of words, the potency of speech, the efficacy of ritual motions thousands of years old, and the trust invested in amulets, talismans and medals of all sorts. As the author of the Papyrus Ebers (3) says: ‘Mighty is the power of words on drugs, and mighty the power of drugs on words.’”

“Egyptian magic was scientific and magical; it was also a priestly vocation. In effect, the priesthood in the service of the goddess Sekhmet specialized in the administration of therapeutic cures, under the divine patronage of such gods and goddesses as Thoth, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Neith, Hathor, Bes, Thoueris, Khnum and Hekhet.”

“In hospital sanctuaries within temples, another practice was the induction and interpretation of dreams. Needless to point out, the origins of medical incubation date back to ancient Egypt. It was also in ancient Egypt that aromatherapy, the use of plant essences for treating diseases, was born. Ancient Egyptian medicine made frequent use of garlic (Allium sativum) and onions (A. cepa). Garlic, which contains a highly volatile essential oil made up almost wholly of allyl sulfide, has tonic and antiseptic properties: ‘Among the sulfides contained in garlic, some inhibit the accumulation of platelets, those agents in our blood responsible for clotting. Garlic can therefore be useful in preventing thrombosis and heart attacks.’”

“The onion was considered a sacred plant in ancient Egypt. It is rick in sugar, mineral salts and vitamins. A superb stimulant for the nervous system, the liver and the kidneys, it is also a disinfectant and an antiseptic, as well as being effective against scurvy. The scilla bulb, or so-called sea onion, first mentioned in the Papyrus Ebers, was used in the treatment of heart ailments and hydropsy. The bulb of this liliaceous plant contains heart tonic heterosides which slow down the beating of the heart while strengthening its contractions; this produces an indirect effect on the kidneys by improving the circulation of the blood.”

Theophile Obenga
“African Philosophy: The Pharaonic Period: 2780-330BC”
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