In ancient Chinese culture, alcohol was used as medicine to warm and vitalize the blood. In classical Greece, it was a therapeutic agent for the mind and the body. Hippocrates prescribed alcohol for different ailments, such as wounds, bad breath, and for loosening stool, among other health conditions, especially among elderly individuals. In the Roman Empire, beer was used to numb senses before surgery – a practice that was derived from Talmudic medicine. In the Middle Ages, the consumption of alcohol spiked as beer highly relied on sustenance. Physicians and monks believed that it had medicinal value, such as aqua vitae or divine medication. It provided warmth against colds and fevers and acted as prophylaxis – a treatment for plague.
During the Renaissance and the Enlightenment periods, beer was still being used for medicinal purposes despite the improvement in anatomical understanding of the body and pathogenesis of different diseases. In the US, beer was consumed for different medicinal purposes in the eighteenth century, including treating stomach problems. Currently, beer is used to prevent heart diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, gallstones, prostate cancer, bacterial infection, and to stimulate appetite and digestion. However, according to Faria, the consumption of alcohol as a therapeutic drug is controversial due to the undesirable impacts linked to its utilization.