Marrakesh – Exploring A Moroccan Pharmacy

Marrakesh is a city that stands out from many other places around the world. You can be sure to leave this place with a complete brain-overload full of strange, new impressions.

A great experience I had there once was when I stumbled upon a tiny pharmacy hiding around a small narrow street corner…

As always in Marrakesh no matter where you go, you are welcomed with tea (it was the best mint tea I’ve ever tasted). You will find them bringing it out so quickly that you find yourself with a hot glass even before you know whether you want to even stay or leave.

So I took the mint tea, sat down and looked around.

Every area of this small pharmacy was covered from top to bottom with shelves full of delicate glass bottles – each one looking stranger than the next.

The bottles were filled with liquids in strong vibrant colors and came across looking rather poisonous.

Some had strange plants and branches inside, others had things my imagination couldn’t even describe – I wouldn’t have been surprised if I suddenly saw a head in one of the bottles..!

Everything inside these bottles was meant to be medicine, which would curand diminish things I didn’t even know you could… like stretch marks :S

The pharmacist asked us what we’re looking for, and we became a little hesitant. We weren’t really looking for anything, we just wanted to browse, but we didn’t really feel like that was a good enough answer, so we made up a few things like coughing medicine etc.

An hour later we stumbled out of the pharmacy with two big bags full of herbs, oils and liquids, confused but happy.

And to be honest, I’ve been using the herbs I bought there a long time after.

Since then I’ve become much more interested in medicines from other cultures and what they use to cure every day illness.

I would love to visit more of these street corner pharmacies, in fact I think I might make it my thing – to visit pharmacies in every country I visit, just to see what they look like (many interesting photos coming soon as well I’m sure!)

What’s the strangest travel experience you ever had?