Records of their use can be found in the ruins of Mesopotamia, dating back to 5,000 B.C.

Approximately a millennium later, the ancient Egyptians were using them to help preserve their royalty for the afterlife.

In the fifth century B.C., the Greek physician Hippocrates documented their various medical benefits, and, later, Roman armies took them into battle to heal their wounded. Through the Roman conquests, and later in the Crusades, they spread through Europe and beyond.