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Keahi's avatar

Ah, Alcohol, blessing and curse! My grandmother swore by Lydia Pinkham's Herbal Compound, a popular remedy for "female complaints", that dated from the 1870s but which is still around today in modified form. The original alcohol content escapes me but it was something like 22%. Mrs. Pinkham, born a Quaker, knew what she was doing when she whipped up that brew. Couple toots of that during your monthlies and you'll be feeling finer than frog hair. I say it beats the hell out of prescription and OTC pharmas, opioids, etc..

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Janet's avatar

Management of side effects easier I’d say. But back then a woman could be thrown in an insane asylum for being, shall we say, a woman. 😱😱😱

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Keahi's avatar

They could also be subjected to FGM - not just hysterectomies - for the same reason. Yes, it was a standard medical practice in America for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Under those circumstances I think I might reach for the laudanum myself.

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