Fragments of tradition: revisiting the virtues of wine

Wine is a characteristic example of how difficult it is to make a clear-cut distinction between products that are good for man's health and those that damage it. Over the centuries wine has not only been used as a foodstuff, a luxury item and a poison, but also a drug, a carrier for preparing medicines, a cure-all for the ills of the body and soul, and has even assumed an aura of holiness and mysticism. All of these can fall into the categories of treatment and prevention. In taking an historic look at the various opportunities wine has provided over the centuries--especially in the history of pharmacy--the aim is not to reject the product, but rather to reconfirm its qualities in the light of recent discoveries, and above all, highlight how these qualities are inherent to the product as a whole, not just in terms of its individual components. Wine has many characteristics that could classify it as a plant compound. This could serve as a reevaluation of tradition and traditional medicines, not by dissecting them, but by reconsidering them in their historical, medical and even religious entireties. Finally, but no less importantly, some active ingredients of wine with acknowledged therapeutic properties have been used for millennia in traditional Chinese plant therapy. Ingredients contained in other plants have been used for the same purposes and have recently been "scientifically" discovered.