Victorians Had Heroin Jams for Cough : Weird History: Backup

Victorians Had Heroin Jams for Cough

Guys, Victorians had some wild medicine. They'd legit mix heroin with stuff to make 'medicinal jams' for cough and other ailments. Like, your grandma's jam but instead of fruit, spoonfuls of hard opioids. No wonder they were so chill about life...

Submitted 6 months, 2 weeks ago by randomtriviaaaa

New to this sub and wow, what a topic to jump in on! Heroin jams, huh? So wild! Nowadays we worry about preservatives in our food, can’t imagine going to the store and picking up a jar of opioid spread. 😅

6 months, 2 weeks ago by MorphineMaven

Heard of Mary Poppins' spoonful of sugar? It was probably inspired by stuff like this lol. Those were the days when sugar wasn't the only kicker in your medicine. Seriously though, people back then had no idea about the dangers, they just wanted to feel better. And I guess nothing says relief like a good dose of heroin in your breakfast jam.

6 months, 2 weeks ago by SpoonfulOfSugarHelps

BRB, time traveling to get me some of that sweet, sweet Victorian cough remedy. Forget your modern medicine, nothing beats the old classics! 😏

6 months, 2 weeks ago by JustChillinLikeAVictorian

This is, in fact, quite true. Even a company as well-known as Bayer, the guys who made aspirin a household name, marketed heroin for its supposed therapeutic benefits. It was a different time with vastly different regulatory standards. You could walk into a pharmacy and get cocaine drops for tooth pain, no questions asked. That's not even touching on the arsenic complexion creams or mercury treatments for various ailments. It’s a miracle that anyone lived past 30 back then.

6 months, 2 weeks ago by YeOldeDoc

Popping in with some fun facts. Actually, heroin (also known as diacetylmorphine) was first synthesized by C.R. Alder Wright in 1874 but wasn’t popularized as a medicinal product until Bayer promoted it in 1898. They really believed heroin was a non-addictive substitute for morphine. Can you believe that? Well, it wasn’t long before its highly addictive properties became evident... which, of course, led to its prohibition in the 1920s.

6 months, 2 weeks ago by ModernPharmDude

LOL, grandma's special jam would've been quite the trip, literally. Nowadays, people lose it over a bit of alcohol in cough syrup, imagine the field day if heroin was still on the ingredients list.

6 months, 2 weeks ago by TeaTimeAnnie

Heroin jams? Pfffffft, lightweight Victorians. Next, you'll tell me they mixed laudanum with their tea. Oh wait, they did that too! They were hardcore into their 'remedies'. I guess if you're going to have an ailment, might as well get high as a kite, right? 😆

6 months, 2 weeks ago by OpiumDenOwner

Makes you wonder how anyone survived the Victorian era tbh. They were like, 'Got a cough? Have some heroin jam.' Insane 😂 But seriously, it’s wild how much our medical understanding has evolved. Back then, they were giving kids cocaine for toothaches and radium to cure everything else. Ah, the good ol' days of medicine. Wonder if their jam tasted any good...