Mineral Myths

Beryl:
Greek physicians practiced the ‘gemstone elixir fraud’ by treating patients with water they had dipped beryl in for bladder and kidney stones. Later, in the 14^th century, Konrad von Megengerg recommended the same treatment for asthma. During medieval times, beryl was used in the treatment of jaundice, liver disease, and laziness (And I always thought it was the boss coming through saying ‘Get busy’). In current times, beryl is used as a remedy for seasickness, upset stomach, ulcers, nausea, and obesity. One of the scarier and more dangerous fallacies is to use beryl to treat eye problems by dropping crushed grains of beryl in the eye. The thought is to have the patient lie still with their eyes closed, enabling the eyes to slowly wash the grains out. I fail to see how purposefully putting anything abrasive in the eyes could be seen as a cure. Certainly won’t see me doing this one.

Emerald:
Emeralds are still prized as greatly today as they were throughout history. Many cultures have used emeralds to represent various deities over the years. The list of ‘cures’ attributed to Emeralds is rather extensive as well, from protecting the eyes and stopping bleeding, to heartburn and to soothe pain.
Emeralds were sacred to the Great Goddess, used to symbolize her green-clad earth in spring festivals. Later they were the stones of Venus, or Aphrodite, worn on her holy day of Friday. Her Greek consort, Hermes—known to the Egyptians as their god Thoth—is attributed to the famous Emerald Tablet, on which were written the ultimate words of creation. In 1531, the Peruvian city of Manta was dominated by an Emerald Goddess, Umiña, whose image was an enormous emerald crystal. She was surrounded by her “daughters”, smaller emeralds collected by her priests that were offered by the faithful. All of this was seized by the conquistadors.

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