This wasn’t “Snake Oil”. Back in the 1700’s an 1800’s many local pharmacists manufactured Their own proprietary brands of elixirs and syrups. This was before the FDA came into existence. Grain alcohol was used as a solvent making all the ingredients soluble. The cannabis was similar to marijuana but this species was noted for being more calmative. I’m not sure but I believe the leaves were macerated in a glass mortar and pestle. Supposedly, the leaves were placed in the mortar and crushed until the “juice” was extracted from the leaves. Chloroform was a sedating agent but was extremely dangerous as it can be used as an anesthetic. Thankfully, it is no longer available. Morphine Sulphate was used as an antitussive. Morphine is rarely used today to treat coughs but Codeine Phosphate is which doesn’t cause as much euphoria as Morphine does.

Pharmacies were known to have these elixirs to assist in sales at the counter. It was not uncommon for someone to “share” a swig of this type of product. When asked, the purchaser would say “I bought it at Doc Harry’s on the corner of Main Street and Broadway!” Back then, drug regulation was pretty much non-existent and what was learned in Pharmacy Schools was gospel for us druggists or should I say apothecaries. By the way, castor beans were heated and the oil came out which was used as a laxative. It is still available but the nasty taste never seems to go away. Thanks for the look back, Samantha.

-Steve