In ancient times and places where potable water was scarce and people drank alcoholic beverages for substance, how were the people not dehydrated and hung over all the time?
In: Biology
It’s not a myth like the other commenter posted. I actually did a research paper on this, the answer is the alcohol content tended to be lower. Yes, typically running water and various water sources existed that weren’t as dangerous as we think, but that wasn’t true everywhere. People did drink beer/mead more frequently which was ultimately safer because the water is boiled as part of the process. It wasn’t instead of water, which I think is what the commenter means, but it was certainly safer.
They also found traces of tetracycline in vats from ancient Egypt, there is evidence to suggest it would have been anti bacterial as well.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26057861?seq=1
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100902094246.htm#:~:text=develop%20therapeutic%20agents.-,A%20chemical%20analysis%20of%20the%20bones%20of%20ancient%20Nubians%20shows,practice%20nearly%202%2C000%20years%20ago.
Edit: clarification, grammar.
If I find the paper, I’ll post the sources. I’m on my phone.
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