Black Draught

Surely this is the worst name for a laxative ever, conjuring up images of torrents of tarry bowel movements. The fact that "black draught" is also a term for a horse and cow purgative doesn't help.

Worst of all, the stuff is still being sold!

Listen to these old grannies wince at the memory of taking Black Draught in their youth.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 12, 2012
Category: Medicine | Excrement | Nineteenth Century

Comments

I lucked out, Mama didn't believe in all those patented brews; unlike a buddy of mine used to get a dose of cod liver oil every morning from his.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 10/12/12 at 09:48 AM

Black Draught makes you smile from the inside out! :lol:
That was their Jingle! :coolsmile:

Posted by Tyrusguy on 10/12/12 at 09:53 AM

Did they ever have a slogan like "Black Draught - Cleans Like A Black Tornado"?

Posted by KDP on 10/12/12 at 11:50 AM

At first glance I read black as back. Back Draught Laxative is even more scary.

Posted by BMN on 10/12/12 at 01:57 PM

Yuck!!! Sounds nasty to me.

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 10/12/12 at 07:01 PM

Ahh, the good old days! I think many of the modern day laxatives contain senna, so everything old is new again. I LOVE the two ladies; I'll bet they have lots of funny stories and plenty of sass left to share.

Posted by ScoutC on 10/12/12 at 08:02 PM

Waaaaaay too similar to "Back Draft", which I suppose is the intended result.

Posted by noodles on 10/19/12 at 08:44 AM

I too know all about the granulated Black Draught as a laxative. It was the only thing my parents knew to give to me as a laxative when I was growing up. You pour out a Tablespoon of this and pour home made molasses just enough to mix it up using your finger and down the hatch it went. Only way to have a BM was by taking this weekly. Later in the 1980's thirty years or so later I found that all along I had a twisted bowel from birth. There was few and far in between doctor visits and certaintly no modern day exray to detect health problems. Too, back then you called upon the buggy doctor to come out into the country to your home. Still this was the good old days with lotsa memories, more good than bad.

Posted by reba holcomb on 01/07/13 at 05:28 PM

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