Table 6.

Ancient medicinal uses of Muricidae molluscs.

Culture	Part of snail	Source species	Preparation	Pharmaceutical properties (Treatment)
Ancient Greco-Roman (Dioscorides, Oribasius and Galen) [21]	Operculum	Hexaplex trunculus, Bolinus brandaris, Thais haemastoma	Crushed and mixed with oil and vinegar	Hearing loss, swollen spleen, depression, menstrual cycle abnormalities, after labour for placenta removal
	Flesh and ashes of burned shell	Hexaplex trunculus, Bolinus brandaris and Thais haemastoma	Burned flesh along with shell	Wound healing, cleaning teeth, treatment of cracked skin, healing parotid gland swelling, anti-inflammatory properties
Ancient Greece (Dioscorides) [155]	Whole shell with meat	Muricidae (Purpura-Tyrian Purple producing shellfish)	Burnt and dry whole animal	Cleaning teeth, healing warts, boils or tumour
	Columellae	“Purpurae” (Muricidae)	Burnt and dry	Good for stomach
Ancient Greece (Xenocrates) [21]	Hypobranchial gland	Hexaplex trunculus, Bolinus brandaris and Thais haemastoma	unknown	Laxative, diuretic, increases salivary secretion, perspiration.Excess consumption may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
Ancient Greece (Athenaeus) [21]	Foot	Hexaplex trunculus, Bolinus brandaris and Thais haemastoma	Boiling	Heals stomach disorders
Medieval Eastern Mediterranean Genizah [14,155]	Operculum	Muricidae such as Murex anguliferus	Smell the aromatic substance or smoke produced while placing the operculum on slowly burning charcoal	Rheumatism or arthritis Stomach problem (wounds in stomach), skin diseases, teeth problems, eye and ear diseases, tumors, epilepsy , paralysis, purgative, treatment of diseases of the uterus
Bahrein Middle Eastern [13,15]	Operculum	Murex inflatus	Fumigation	Atresia of uterus
Europe (Aphrodisiacs) [156]	Operculum (Blatta byzantine)	Banded dye Murex	Operculum medicine with vinegar Fumigation	Reduced swollen spleen For women (dislodge the placenta after labour)
	Operculum	Calcified operculum	Ashes of calcified operculum	Stimulate capillary growth