An Ancient Remedy for Colic
Gripe water has been popular and commercially successful since it was first manufactured
more than 75 years ago in Europe. But it was routinely prepared and used at home
at least 200 years earlier.
Gripe Water Use is Centuries Old
In the 1720's, gripe water was already popular in London for infant colic, according
to writings of that time. The earliest written histories tell of gripe water's natural
ingredients being used to calm digestion in several ancient cultures around the
world.
Gripe water was first manufactured in London around 1928. The formula was also copied
in India at that time. Both products were successful and are still available today.
Earlier gripe water was completely made in the home or by individual doctors.
A Gripe Water Chronology
The use of both Fennel and Ginger, two major ingredients in Baby's Bliss GripeWater
liquid, was recorded much earlier in medical history than their use in early "gripe
water".
Gripe Water Ingredients in Ancient Greece and Rome
Hippocrates, and later Dioscorides, made fennel an early tradition in Greek health
care as a digestive and for weight loss. The ancient Romans also used Fennel and
gave it the current technical name. Arabian traders carried ginger root from China
and India to ancient Greece and Rome, and tax records from the second century A.D.
show that ginger was a source of revenue to the Roman treasury. Its citations in
ancient texts go back to the 4th century B.C. The Greeks imported it from the East
centuries before Discorides recorded its medicinal uses in the 1st century A.D.
In Other Ancient Cultures
Fennel's therapeutic uses are found in many ancient systems of health care, such
as Ayurvedic (ancient Hindu system of medicine), Chinese, and Japanese Kampo.
Ginger is one of only a few herbs with such an extensive health care history. The
use of ginger originated in the Orient and spread from there to many of the ancient
cultures of Europe and also the Middle East.
Ancient Greek physicians used ginger extensively for conditions such as nausea and
digestive problems. It was introduced to North America in the 16th century with
the discovery of the New World, where it was used for conditions ranging from indigestion
and vomiting to cholera and malaria.
Chinese medical texts from the fourth century B.C. suggest that ginger is effective
in easing nausea, diarrhea, stomachaches and other conditions. Chinese sailors chewed
ginger rhizome (root) to prevent seasickness.
In Asian health care practices, dried ginger has been used to ease stomach ache,
diarrhea, and motion sickness for thousands of years. The Ayurvedic discipline used
ginger for flatulent intestinal colic.
In Western Europe - Seventh Century
The pacifying ingredients of the gripe water have been studied in the first European
medical schools as early as in the 7th century. When the use of written text was
still uncommon, doctors were memorizing useful ingredients by reciting poems. The
oldest such school in Western Europe was in Salerno, Italy.