Mystical Medicine: From Folk Remedy to Modern Medicine

Metformin—derived from the plant Galega officinalis—has a history stretching back to medieval Europe, where it was used to ease diabetes-related symptoms.

Galega officinalis, commonly known as goat's rue or French lilac, was recognized for its medicinal qualities. Traditional healers prescribed it to alleviate excessive thirst and frequent urination, hallmark signs of diabetes. Farmers also noted its ability to stimulate milk production in livestock, further solidifying its role as a plant of practical value.

Yet somewhere between the herbal knowledge of village healers and today’s tightly regulated pharmaceutical industry, layers of bureaucracy and profit motives have intervened. Medicine—once rooted in shared, practical wisdom—has become enmeshed in systems that complicate access and place financial gain above simplicity. Though this too is too simplistic a view, because without modern day regulations, medicine was also dealt by as many quacks and profit driven individuals. 

The question then is: how do we peel back those layers? To not throw the baby out with the bath water? How do we reclaim medicine at its most basic, returning it to kitchens and gardens, where grandmothers can pass on their knowledge to the next generation? The true belonging of remedies like metformin is not only in the laboratory or pharmacy, but also in our collective memory, where healing is a shared inheritance.