this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2025
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History Memes

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[–] PugJesus@piefed.social 58 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Explanation: Despite having a great many features which seem positively modern to our eyes, like public restrooms and clean water supply, other practices of the ancient Romans were less... intuitive to our eyes. Swishing fermented urine, for example, was used as a method of whitening teeth.

Worst part is, it works, though not nearly as well as any modern methods. It's the ammonia.

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't know what's worse, someone swished fermented urine around their mouth for fun or they did it enough to see their teeth whiten noticeably.

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago

There goes piss-swishing Carl and his pearly whites, man fuck that guy, but his teeth sure look good.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Tbf, they also had lead pipes in that plumbing.

[–] Cavemanfreak@programming.dev 11 points 1 day ago

Fun fact, the word "plumbing" literally comes from the latin word for lead, "plumbum".

[–] lime@feddit.nu 4 points 1 day ago

so does most older parts of the us.

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 46 points 2 days ago

At least weekly, I remember that pirates stowed barrels of piss away so they could make detergent. Human urine has many uses, and all of them are horrifying

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 37 points 2 days ago (3 children)

"Cabbage is the most medicinal vegetable."

"If you save the urine from a habitual cabbage eater, heat it, and bathe a man in it, you will quickly make him healthy with this cure. This has been tested. Also, if you wash babies with this urine they will never become sickly!"

-Cato the Elder, inventing golden baths before golden showers were a thing.

[–] crank0271@lemmy.world 32 points 2 days ago

I think Cato was on to something. If every time I said I was sick someone tried to bathe me in cabbage urine, I would no longer say I was sick.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Fermented cabbage is actually very healthy 😅

[–] toofpic@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Tasty and crunchy!

[–] JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't think they had the water pressure for a good shower.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

Yeah. That's why the used piss.

[–] Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago

hmm almost like organic compounds break down into other compounds over time or with certain processes?