History of Copper
History Of Copper Jewelry
Brief History Of Copper
A
Brief History of The Health Support Uses of Copper Throughout history,
healers have understood the value of copper in obtaining and maintaining
optimum health. Whether topically applied or ingested, many forms of
copper and copper compounds (such as copper carbonate, copper silicate,
copper oxide, copper sulfate, copper chloride, etc.) were used
throughout history for the treatment of disease.
Copper
has been used for medicinal purposes as far back as ancient Egypt,
Greece and Rome as well as in the ancient Aztec civilization. Ancient
Uses of Copper An ancient Egyptian medical text, known as the Smith
Papyrus (circa 2400 B.C.), mentions using copper as a sterilization
agent for drinking water and wounds. Another ancient text, known as the
Ebers papyrus (circa 1500 B.C.) mentions the use of copper for
headaches, "trembling of the limbs," burns, and itching. The island of
Cyprus provided a readily available supply of copper to Greece and is
known to have provided much of the copper needed for the empires of
ancient Phoenicia and Rome as well. It has also been documented that
Israel's Timna Valley provided copper for the Pharaohs. Hippocrates
(circa 400 B.C.), known as the father of modern medicine (and for whom
the doctor's Hippocratic oath was named) mentions copper as a treatment
for leg ulcers associated from varicose veins.
The
Greeks also sprinkled a powder of copper oxide and copper sulfate on
open wounds and treated wounds with a mixture of honey and red copper
oxide. In the first century A.D., the book De Materia Medica by
Dioscorides, describes using verdigris (which they made by exposing
metallic copper to vinegar steam to form copper acetate) in combination
with copper sulfate as a remedy for bloodshot eyes, inflamed eyes, "fat
in the eyes", and cataracts. Evidence from the time of Roman physician
Aulus Cornelius Celsus (14 to 37 A.D.), tells us that copper and its
derivatives were firmly established as important drugs. In his book, De
Medicina, Celsus details numerous uses for copper, along with specific
instructions for the preparation of the particular form of copper
recommended for each disease or condition. Among his specific directions
are a copper oxide mixture made with raisin wine, saffron and myrrh for
the treatment of venereal disease and a copper mixture made with rose
oil for chronic ulcers. Pliny (23 to 79 A.D.) described a number of
remedies involving copper. Black copper oxide with honey was used to
kill intestinal worms and purge the stomach. In diluted form, nose drops
were used to "clear the head"; eardrops relieved ear discomfort and
infection, and taken by mouth it relieved mouth sores and ulcers.
Diluted copper mixtures were also used for "eye roughness," "eye pain
and mistiness." The ancient Aztec civilization also used copper for
medical purposes, including gargling with a copper mixture for sore
throats. In ancient India and Persia, copper was used to treat lung
diseases.
Copper
compounds such as malachite and copper oxide were used on boils and
other skin conditions. Copper acetate and copper oxide were used for eye
infections. Evidence also shows us that nomadic Mongolian tribes used
copper sulfate, taken by mouth, to treat venereal ulcers. 19th Century
Copper The first recorded observation of copper's role in the immune
system in modern times was published in 1867 when it was reported that,
during the cholera epidemics in Paris of 1832, 1849 and 1852, copper
workers were immune to cholera. In 1885, the French physician, Luton,
reported using copper acetate in his practice to treat arthritic
patients. For external application he made a salve of hog's lard and 30%
neutral copper acetate. For internal treatment, he used pills
containing 10 mg. of copper acetate. In 1895, in a published review of
the pharmacological actions of copper compounds, copper arsenate was
reported to treat acute and chronic diarrhea as well as dysentery and
cholera.
An
organic complex of copper developed by Bayer was shown to have curative
powers in the treatment of tuberculosis. Copper treatment for
tuberculosis continued until the 1940s. 20th Century Copper As early as
1912, patients in Germany were treated for facial epithelioma with a
mixture of copper chloride and lecithin, suggesting that copper
compounds might assist anti-cancer activity.
Recent
work with mice in the U.S. has shown that treatment of solid tumors
with non-toxic doses of various organic complexes of copper markedly
decreased tumor growth and metastasis and thus increased survival rate.
These copper complexes did not kill cancer cells but caused them to
revert to normal cells. Based on work in the treatment of cancers using
copper complexes, researchers have found that these same complexes may
prevent or retard the development of cancers in mice under conditions
where cancers are expected to be induced. First observed in rats in
1936, numerous studies have drawn attention to the relationship between
copper deficiency and heart disease, which effect has now been traced to
both a deficiency in copper and an imbalance in the copper-to-zinc
ratio in the body.
In
1939, the German physician, Werner Hangarter, noticed that Finnish
copper miners were unaffected by arthritis as long as they worked in the
mining industry. This observation led Finnish medical researchers plus
the Germans, Hangarter and Lübke, to successfully use a mixture of
copper chloride and sodium salicylate to treat patients suffering from
rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, neck and back problems, and
sciatica.
A
Manual of Pharmacology and its Applications to Therapeutics and
Toxicology, published by W. B. Saunders Company in 1957 recommends the
use of 0.5 gram of copper sulfate, dissolved in a glass of water, in a
single dose, or three doses of 0.25 gram fifteen minutes apart, to
induce vomiting. Interestingly, Pliny (23 - 79 A.D.) also mentions using
copper for just this purpose. Copper aspirinate has been shown not only
to be more effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis than
aspirin alone, but it has been shown to prevent or even cure the
ulceration of the stomach often associated with aspirin therapy. More
than 140 copper complexes of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents
(aspirin and ibuprofen, for example) have been shown to be more active
than their parent compounds. It has been demonstrated that copper
complexes such as copper aspirinate and copper tryptophanate, markedly
increase healing rate of ulcers and wounds. For example, copper
complexes heal gastric ulcers five days sooner than other reagents.
Further,
it has been shown that, whereas non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
such as ibuprofen and enefenamic acid suppress wound healing, copper
complexes of these drugs promote normal wound healing while at the same
time retaining anti-inflammatory activity. With reports of seizures in
animals and humans who had significant and prolonged copper deficiencies
in their diets, researches postulated that copper plays a role in the
prevention of seizures.
Research
uncovered that organic compounds which are not themselves
anti-convulsants, exhibit anticonvulsant activity when combined with
copper. Further, it was found that copper complexes of all
anti-epileptic drugs are more effective and less toxic than their parent
drugs. The 1973 work by Dr. L.M. Klevay at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Human Nutrition Research Center pointed to a relationship
between copper and cholesterol. In subsequent work, published in 1975,
Dr. Klevay theorized that a metabolic imbalance between zinc and copper
-- with more emphasis on copper deficiency than zinc excess - is a major
contributing factor in coronary heart disease. Subsequent work by other
investigators has shown that copper complexes also can have a valuable
role in the minimization of damage to the aorta and heart muscle as
oxygenated blood reperfuses into tissues following myocardial
infarction. This action is based on the anti-inflammatory action of
copper complexes. It has been speculated that the reason that the heart
attack rate in France is lower than in the rest of Europe is because of
the significant consumption by the French of red wine, which has a
higher copper content than white wine because it is prepared with the
skin of the grape intact. Copper's role in the immune system has
recently been supported by observations that individuals suffering from
Menke's disease (an inherited disease in which there is defective copper
absorption and metabolism) generally die of immune system-related
phenomena and other infections.
Further,
animals deficient in copper have been shown to have increased
susceptibility to bacterial pathogens such as salmonella and listeria.
This kind of evidence has led researchers to suggest that copper
compounds not only can cure various conditions, but can aid in the
prevention of disease. Copper in the 21st Century Copper jewelry worn
directly on skin has been used for a hundred years or more as a remedy
for many ailments, including arthritis. Now, copper bracelets to ease
joint and arthritis pain are ubiquitous in health food stores, and
health magazines and catalogs.
With
the understanding that copper deficiency can result in gray hair, skin
wrinkles, crow's feet, varicose veins and saggy skin, copper has
recently been touted as a "Fountain of Youth" for its ability to improve
the elastic fiber in skin, increase skin flexibility, and act as an
anti-wrinkle treatment. It has even been said to be able to return gray
hair back to its natural color. As modern researches continue to
investigate the role of copper in the functioning of the human body, the
efficacy of copper as a trace element critical to human health and
wellness is slowly but surely being discovered . . . or, shall we say,
rediscovered, since the incredible healing properties of copper have
been understood and used throughout human history.