Extremely popular for much of the nineteenth century, patent medicines promised great health and vitality. Alcohol was often the chief ingredient, but tonics also included other substances such as sugar and vegetable dyes. Some contained opium, cocaine and other addictive and potentially lethal substances. The passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 helped ban harmful substances from patent medicines. Home l Early History l Agriculture l Business l Industry l Education l Health and Medicine l Recreation l Religion l Transportation l War l Timeline l Map l Sponsors   Updated December 15, 2000 Created by Donna Parker with contribution from Sandy Staebell, Laura Harper Lee, Lynne Ferguson and Jon Kay. Send comments to KyMus@wku.edu Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 Western Kentucky University All rights reserved. URL: http://www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/rrr1/Pages/Secpages/hm_patent.html