‘Doctor’s orders’ booze once thought to cure everything from ringworm to the plague

Gin has been hailed as a ‘healthier’ drink for your body than beer – but we’ve come a long way since the days when it might have been available on prescription Absinthe was invented as a health drink, believe it or not (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Bottom’s up doc! Gin is better for your system than beer according to a GP, as the Daily Star reported this week. ‌

Dr Matthew Alerton, from Manchester, reckons the tipple – made with juniper berries – is kinder to your tummy because it contains fewer compounds that ferment in the gut. ‌

But for centuries all sorts of booze was actually seen as medicinal… ‌

Oath yes: Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, was a fan of wine “for the healthy body and for the ailing man.” He reckoned it wa