Ancient Romans really used poop as medicine—and chemistry proved it
A recent Phys.org article “Poop as medicine? A Roman vial's chemistry backs up ancient
medical texts” reports that scientists just found the first real evidence that ancient Romans
actually used human poop as medicine. Old medical textbooks have referenced this practice
before, but nobody had any direct physical evidence until now. Dr. İlker Demirbolat, a
professor at Cumhuriyet University, got their hands on an ancient Roman glass vial
called an unguentarium, estimated to be around 1,800 years old, that managed to preserve
a small amount of dried residue inside.
They analyzed the residue using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, or
GC-MS for short. Basically, it’s a technique that separates substances into their
chemical components for identification. What did they find? Molecules called coprostanol
and 24-ethylcoprostanol. These are strongly indicative of fecal matter, and the ratio of
chemicals pointed to a human source. There was also carvacrol, a chemical from thyme oil,
which was likely used to help cover up the smell.
Without analytical chemistry, this whole discovery wouldn’t even be possible.
GC-MS lets scientists pick out chemical “fingerprints” from ancient residues,
nearly 2000 years old. Thanks these characteriation techniques we knowancient doctors like Galen weren’t just making up weird poop treatments,
they actually did them.
On a larger scale, the researchers think the Romans prepared this fecal
medicine for therapeutic treatment and thyme could have been added to keep
the patient from gagging or refusing the treatment due to the smell. It sounds gross,
and rightly so, but it lines up with something we do today: fecal microbiota transplants
or FMT. Doctors actually use these to treat serious gut infections. So, as much
as we cringe, the core idea—using gut bacteria to heal—still matters.
If I’m honest, I never thought I’d be reading about ancient bottled poop in a
conversation about chemistry, but here we are. It’s really gross, but kind of
amazing that chemistry can still pull secrets out of an ancient bottle after almost
2,000 years. And the weirdest part? Modern medicine is just a more refined
version of the same principle.
Paul Arnold, Phys.org (Feb 4, 2026)
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-poop-medicine-roman-vial-chemistry.html
This is an interesting choice for a post and an appropriate one. One of my undergraduate chemistry professors (a Nobel Prize winner) asserted that "Chemistry smells of its human origins." Your title (and subtitle) attract attention and interest. The graphics enhance interest. Your first paragraph (lede) is quite punchy and concise. Your explanation of the analytical technique is clear and concise. You evaluation of the relevance to chemistry is interesting. The note on the connection to modern practice is also interesting and to the point
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