Potions, poisons and pills : weird and wonderful medicines

Lots of us take a pill when we have a headache - or worse.

But did you know that the art of mixing medicines goes back thousands of years See inside for the story of daring remedies yucky cures and truly brilliant ideas for making people better - whatever the problem A venomous snake dissolved in wine 'cured' fatigue and hair loss Snail slime was used for burns and roast kittens for jaundice Chewing willow bark eased pain and malaria - now that one really worked Discover how herbal medicine was practised centuries ago deadly syphilis was cured with Paul Ehrlich's 'magic bullet' and cockroaches catfish and frogs make their own antibiotics.

There are many natural and other remedies out there and scientists never stop looking