The Georgian Gentian Elixir
A cocktail to cure a king
Introduction
This cocktail contains a number of ingredients that were believed in Georgian England to have medicinal properties and used to treat our poorly kings and queens.
We know from medical records that George III was given extract of gentian, considered one of the best fortifiers of the human system, stimulating liver, gall bladder and digestive tract. Still used as a 'pick me up' today, a possible side-effect is blue urine. This is also a symptom of porphyria, the blood disease that many historians assigned to George. Understanding that gentian may have miscoloured his urine now casts serious doubt over the porphyria diagnosis. Today, leading theory is that George suffered from a psychiatric illness.
Further information
Tonic water contains quinine (from 'Peruvian bark') which was used to treat 'ague' (any kind of fever with a chill). This was prescribed to George III in order to combat his fevers.
Mint was commonly used to aid digestion. Queen Charlotte was given mint water in 1737 as part of an unsuccessful attemt to treat her umbilical hernia.
Although not used medicinally, gin was drunk widely in Georgian England and cirrhosis of the liver was a common illness, referred to as 'gin-drinker's liver'. In a time of gin house mania and illegal booze, gin was made and sold everywhere from prisons to workhouses to hospitals.
Lemons, meanwhile, were used to prevent scurvy.
In the Georgian period this cocktail might have been called a nostrum - a 'cure-all' concoction created by apothecaries and other enterprising businessmen and women. Nostrums were medicines of secret composition recommended by the preparer. They were, however, of questionable medical benefit.
Downloadable Resources
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(Adobe PDF, 1.11MB)
