Submitted by Cheyenne Autumn
LYDIA PINKHAM

Lydia Pinkham's home remedies made her rich and she became a celebrity. Thousands claimed she changed their lives. She was called a "Victorian Lady" with a man's head for business. Her kind motherly face on the boxes containing her cures became better known than just about any other American woman of the era.

She was born Lydia Estes on February 19, 1819 in Lynn, MA. She had a voracious appetite for learning and would graduate from Lynn Academy with honors. She married Isaac Pinkham and had four sons and a daughter but she lost one of the boys when at the age of two. This tragedy caused her to focus her energies on healthful herbs, combined with a proper diet and exercise.

Her "Vegatable Compound" made her more famous than any other woman of her day. She soaked the various herbs in diluted alcohol and at this time there were no laws about what went into these medications. Had she really produced a miracle cure for women's health? Her fan mail at the time certainly indicated that this was the case. Modern physicians now recommend herbal remedies for some of the same symptoms Lydia's customers took them for. It is also likely that the amount of alcohol in her mixtures contributed to her patient's sense of well-being; they were 17.9 alcohol, or 35.8 proof!

Submitted by Cheyenne Autumn In the late 1800s claims made for patent medicines were not regulated by law, and trade cards advertising these medicines usually promised miraculous results. This card advertising Hunt's Remedy, The Great Kidney and Liver Medicine, is a good example. It claims that the medicine cures dropsy and all diseases of the kidneys, bladder, and urinary organs; and is never known to fail.

Kill insects that get into the ear by pouring in sweet oil or glycerin, which drowns and brings them to the surface. To remedy tetter, ringworm or barber's itch, take the best Cuba cigars, smoke one a sufficient length of time to accumulate 1/4 or 1/2 inch ashes upon the end of the cigar; now wet the whole surface of the sore with the saliva from the mouth, then rub the ashes from the cigar thoroughly into and all over the sore; do this three times a day and inside of a week all will be smooth and well. If a person has spasms, pull off their clothes and burn them right away. They will quiet down after that. For a sluggish liver, drink a glass of hot water with the juice of half-lemon squeezed into it, every night and every morning. No sugar. Submitted by Nikita La Femme Submitted by Silvermyst This is still used by humans. Dandelion root & artichoke leaves--- Grind up a dandelion root to make dandelion root powder. Cut up a few artichoke leaves. Mix 1 heaping teaspoon of dandelion root powder and 1/2 teaspoon of artichoke leaves. Cover with boiling water. Let steep in a covered pot for 13 minutes, and strain through gauze. Sip 2 to 3 cups of this tea, not too hot, daily. Add a little honey if it is too bitter for you. Drink this tea with Bran Breakfast to stimulate the liver and gallbladder. EMAIL HOME Some graphics By CATSTUFF Background by Servo, Banner by Sir Wally