228 Cheese RX

Cheesy and Fondue learn about medical uses for cheese. We hear about the uses of cheese by the ancient Sumerians, Greeks and Romans. We find out why Cleopatra needed 700 donkeys for skincare. And of course, we tell a very cheesy joke!

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Why is cheddar the most dangerous of all the cheeses? Because it is very sharp!

Show Notes

https://hekint.org/2023/07/21/eating-cheese-as-medicine/

https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/73045

https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/ingredient/Paneer/429

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250303/Cheese-isnt-just-foode28094ite28099s-a-microbiome-booster-study-confirms.aspx

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.00180-25

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/science-science-everywhere-you-asked/why-did-cleopatra-supposedly-bathe-sour-donkey-milk

https://www.emotion-master.eu/2023/12/22/the-science-behind-cleopatras-milk-baths/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/lactic-acid-for-skin

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464623001287

https://intothegloss.com/2014/12/korean-cheese-cream

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Just Cheesy the podcastpresented by Just Cheesy Productions.
Hi there. I'm your host, Fondue.
I'm Cheesy.
In this week's episode, we'retalking all about medical uses for
cheese.
Whoa.
We're gonna hear about cheesecures for everything from digestive
disorders to gout.

(00:22):
What?
We're gonna find out whyCleopatra needed 700 donkeys for
her skin care. And of course,we're gonna tell a very cheesy joke.
Stay for cheese. Rx on JustCheesy the podcast. It's been said
that cheese has been aroundfor about seven or 8,000 years,
give or take a thousand.
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah.
And the ancient Sumerians wereusing it for food, but also for medicinal

(00:46):
purposes.
They were.
According to HectoanInternational, cheese was used for
things like diarrhea,constipation, digestive disorders,
and gout. But the ancientSumerians weren't the only ones treating
people with cheese.
They weren't.
Between 460 and 370 BC,Hippocrates recommended cheese for
treating things like feversand disorders of the lungs. He's

(01:08):
the guy that's behind the oaththat doctors still take today. And
he actually wrote aboutcheese. He noted that people who
tolerated it well wereremarkably strengthened by it. And
this wasn't considered folkmedicine. This was the most respected
physician of the ancient worldactually writing cheese into his
treatment plans.
Oh yeah.

(01:29):
According to thehistoryblog.com there's a writing
that came out in the 1580s.
Holy cow.
It was a pamphlet compiled ofcheese. And what's interesting is
that the work repeatedlyReferences Galen, a 3rd century Greek
physician. Much likeHippocrates, this was a Roman doctor
whose medical thinkingdominated Western medicine for over

(01:50):
a thousand years. Galenclassified cheeses by their properties.
Fresh cheese was easier todigest. Aged cheese was warming and
harder on the stomach. Andrancid cheese.
Uh oh.
Warning. This is kind of gross.
Oh no.
Yeah. Want to know what theyused rancid cheese for?
Not really.
Well, they smeared rancidcheese and bacon fat on the swollen

(02:14):
joints of a gout patient sothat the skin breaks and the fluids
causing the swelling could runout. Moving to the east in Ayurvedic
medicine, one of the world'soldest medical systems, originating
In India over 2000 years ago,paneer has a well documented medicinal
history, according to joyfulbelly.com as long as you can digest

(02:36):
it. In metabolic terms, theysay paneer is concentrated, moisturizing,
heavy and cold without theheat of fermented Cheeses.
Wow.
They say the natural coolingenergy is calming, and it soothes
dryness due to its moistgrounding nature. Again, this is
as long as you can digest it,because they say it can aggravate
individuals prone to mucus,sluggishness, or sinus congestion.

(02:58):
Okay.

(03:50):
The article points out what Ithink we all know, that its mild,
delicate flavor allows it tocomplement a wide range of dishes.
Paneer is not a sponsor, butif it was, the ad would go right
here. Now, here's where cheeseas medicine gets a little bit more
interesting for the modern times.
Okay.
A 2025 study out of theUniversity of Parma found that bacteria

(04:11):
from cheese could actually betraced into the human gut after consumption,
and it may expand the gut'sfunctional range. Researchers are
calling aged cheeses apotential probiotic food in the same
category as yogurt.
Wow.
Now, researchers are carefulto say that this is still emerging
area, but the data ispromising. And this is coming from

(04:33):
news-medical.net they claimthis tracks with something humans
seem to have knowninstinctively for thousands of years.
I knew.
But you know what? Cheeseisn't just medicine. You can eat.
It turns out cheese, or morespecifically, what comes out of cheese
making, has a long history inbeauty and skin care.
Skin care?
Yep. That byproduct is whey.

(04:54):
No way.
Yes way. And whey containslactic acid.
It does.
And lactic acid has been usedin skin care for a very long time.
How long?
How long, you say?
Yeah.
Let's talk Cleopatra.
That's.
We're talking about lacticacid in a few different articles.
McGill, ca. Okay. Emotiondash, master, eu.
Okay.
And medicalnewstoday.com.

(05:15):
right.
Historians note that this maybe more legend than documented fact.
Okay.
Cleopatra bathed in donkeymilk every day. Not cow, donkey milk.
And reportedly, she needed 700.
700.
Yeah, that's right. 700lactating donkeys to supply enough
for her daily routine.

(05:35):
700.
700.
Whoa.
I mean, and this next part's alittle gross. McGill. Ca says that
she was into apparently morethan just this donkey milk.
Okay.
She used powdered excrementfrom crocodiles to embellish her
complexion.
Ew.
And they say here this was, inall likelihood fruitless.
Oh, no.
They said this maybe triggeredher interest in perfumes she actually

(05:58):
had at a perfume factory.
Really?
Yeah. Amazingly, she had aperfume factory. And she had herbs.
Flower petals, leaves, orseeds were mixed with hot vegetable
oil made from pressed olives.The mixture was allowed to soak for
a week and then was pressedthrough a cloth bag. To extract the
perfumed oil.
Wow.
I mean, if you're. If you'rewiping crocodile crap on your skin,

(06:20):
I guess you would need perfume.
Yeah.
They say she even playedaround with baldness remedies, spurred
by her relationship withJulius Caesar, who was hair challenged.
Oh, good grief. It says sheexperimented with goo made of ground
horse teeth and deer marrow tospur his dormant hair follicles into
action. They say here thatwhen this didn't work, Cleo traded

(06:42):
Julius for Marc Anthony.
Oh, no.
And apparently, she wasn't theonly one wiping donkey milk on her
face.
Really?
Poppaea Sabina, Emperor Nero'swife, reportedly washed her face
with donkey milk seven times aday specifically to reduce wrinkles.
That's commitment.
It really is. I'm really gladI don't live in olden times. I just
can't. I don't think I couldget over the smells.

(07:02):
No.
Now, the interesting thing isthat science actually supports the
instincts. Lactic acid, whichis found in sour milk and whey.
Okay.
Has documented abilities toreduce wrinkles, enhance skin elasticity,
and boost hydration. Medicalnews today says it's now one of the
most widely used ingredientsin modern skin care.
Wow.
According to Science direct,there's a 2023 peer reviewed study

(07:25):
on Italian cheese whey.
No way.
And they found it supportedskin cell growth, collagen production,
and reduce signs of aging inlab conditions. And believe it or
not, in modern times.According to into the Gloss.com,
a Korean beauty brand releaseda skincare cream made with ouai that
reviewers described as havingthe texture of melted mozzarella

(07:49):
cascading down a pizza slice.
Ew.
I'm not sure I would put thaton my face.
I'm ready for a joke fondue.
Okay. What did the cheese sayafter its annual checkup?
I don't know. What?
The older I get, the sharper I am.
Oh, boy.
I like that one because it wasa little bit cheesy. Thanks for listening

(08:12):
to Just Cheesy, the podcastepisode Cheese Rx.
Thank you.
We love learning about cheeseand we hope you do too.
Love it.
And we've got several hundredepisodes that you can enjoy. If you
haven't had the chance, pleasego back and listen to as many as
possible
and stay cheesy, everybody.