Just think of all the things humans have done to heal from various ailments! The 16th-century German physician and alchemist Paracelsus applied the “like cures like” principle (similia similibus curantur) as part of his medical theory and stated that the same agent that causes disease can be used to treat it, only in different doses. It was believed that nature pointed to medicines based on their appearance and qualities, which would be similar to the symptoms of a disease or the damaged organ. Specific shapes of amber were also used in this way: kidney-shaped amber was used in treating urinary ailments, while brain-shaped drops were used in the treatment of headaches.
In the Middle Ages, amber was considered a material possessing special powers, which could offer protection from evil and diseases. Physicians and herbalists believed that amber dust or powder could strengthen the body’s vital forces. Wearing amber amulets was recommended for soothing the symptoms of brain-related ailments, such as headaches or “brain fog”. It was thought that the warmth of amber, warmed by one’s body, helped “drive out evil spirits” that gave rise to mental disorders. Sometimes amber would be burned, while the smoke was said to help clear the mind. Patients inflicted by the plague would be treated, or censed, with amber smoke. Amber oil, extracted by heating the resin, would be used as an ointment to help in minimising headaches, or could “calm the mind” of those suffering melancholy or anxiety. Treatments like these were grounded in magical and symbolic thinking.