Formulae of Popular Medicines in Modern England

Abstract

In modern England, people bought popular medicines from community pharmacies without needing a prescription. In this report, the formulae of nine representative popular medicines are explained. As with many medicines the formulae changed over time. It is revealed that many popular medicines contained aloe, a laxative with a bitter taste that was familiar to British people, and that some of the medicines were still being used at the end of 20th century.