Black Drop was a tincture of opium invented by the Quaker Edward Tunstall of Bishop Auckland in County Durham. It consisted of a mixture of opium, verjuce,[a]Verjuce is a vinegary juice squeezed from unripe green grapes.[1] spices and sugar, presented as a dark-coloured syrup.[1]
The patent medicine was recommended for the treatment of a wide range of conditions, including cancer, diabetes, travel sickness, hay fever, headache and depression, and even for soothing restless children. It was widely available from pharmacists, grocers, bakers, tailors, market vendors and country peddlers, until its sale was regulated by the Pharmacy Act of 1868.[2][3]
Black Drop was sold under various trade names, including Kendal Black Drop, Lancaster Black Drop, Quaker’s Black Drop and Mother Bailey’s Quieting Syrup.[2]
Notes
| a | Verjuce is a vinegary juice squeezed from unripe green grapes.[1] |
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