Therapeutic Properties of Stones in Ancient Mineralogical Texts

Medical uses of minerals, after herbal and bestial therapies, have been the most important and prevalent therapies among ancient people. Utilization of mineral therapies could be studied and analyzed in three groups of texts. Mineralogical texts, some parts of encyclopedias or fantasy literature, and medical texts. Reflection on these texts shows that there were a variety of methods for providing and utilizing mineral therapies the most important of which were rubbing, burning, drinking, eating, coating, fastening, hanging, taking with oneself and watching them. This study is a descriptive and analytical investigation on the basis of ancient texts and aimed at finding some answer to the following question: What are the therapeutic properties and the most prominent therapeutic usages of minerals in the ancient texts? Results of this study showed that psychotherapy, ophthalmology, oral and nasopharyngeal disease, kidney and bladder disease, arthritis, skin and hair disease, wounds and injuries, poison and antidote, prevention of diseases and therapeutic tools were the most considerable grounds that the minerals were put to use according to the ancient texts. Therapeutic properties of the minerals that cover a vast and varied spectrum stem in the ancient experimental knowledge, popular culture, beliefs and customs related to the mysterious impressions of the stones and their therapeutic affects in the ancient humans’ mind