Historical remedies for menstrual period pain and problems. See more remedies here.
See modern home remedies here.
Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound:
Handwritten letter to a sick woman, Typed letter to a Canadian (1918), Ad from the Salt Lake Weekly Herald (1881) for Mrs. Pinkham, trade cards (flowers, girl with cat), post card of Stanford University, a bottle for Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound, mending kit, booklet Stretching Your Dollar, bottles for her Blood Medicine and (just plain) Medicine, Home Talks, Private Text-Book Upon Ailments Peculiar to Women, Fruits and Candies booklet, and a modern bottle, box and instructions for her Tablets.
A discussion of the letter testimonials, and their authenticity, of the Pinkham company (in a discussion of a Pursettes ad with a letter testimonial)
See two letters to MUM about the ingredients of her Compound, and one about the lyrics of an English pop song, Lily the Pink, about her.
Other amazing women: Nelli Bly, Dr. Marie Stopes, Dr. Grace Feder Thompson

DIRECTORY of all topics (See also the SEARCH ENGINE, bottom of page.)

CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could?
Some MUM site links:
NEWS | homepage | LIST OF ALL TOPICS | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? |
Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads
Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.

Kidney-Wort medicine in
"Cousin John's Extravagant Wife"
Kidney-Wort advertisment

"Certain is its action, but harmless in all cases." How many medicine makers have written about the same thing?

I'll repeat the actions of kidneywort (modern spelling):

"Wort" means a herbaceous plant and often combines with another word.

(H)ttp://www.health-topic.com/Dictionary lists its ancient uses:

The juice or distilled water when drunk is good to cool inflammations and unnatural heats, a hot stomach, a hot liver, or the bowels. The herb, juice or distilled water applied outwardly, heals pimples, St Anthony's fire and other outward heats. It provokes the urine, is available for dropsy and helps to break the stone. Being used in the bath or made into an ointment, it cools the painful piles or haemorrhoidal veins. It gives ease to hot gout, and sciatica and inflammations and swellings in the testicles. It helps the kernels or knots in the throat, called the king's-evil. The juice heals kibes ["an ulcerated chilblain especially on the heal," according to a Merriam-Webster dictionary] and chilblains ["an inflammatory swelling or sore caused by exposure (as of the feet or hands) to cold" - Merriam-Webster], if bathed with it, or anointed with ointment made from it. It is also used to stay the blood of fresh wounds and to heal them quickly.

Modern uses. A cooling diuretic not in popular use since the last century when it had a reputation as a remedy for epilepsy. The leaves can be used to make a poultice to apply to painful haemorrhoids, or made into an ointment by digesting them in hot wax and straining. A homeopathic medicine is made from Cotyledon umbilicus.

END
Covers - First inside page - "Particularly for Ladies" - advertisement for Kidney-Wort
See Lydia Pinkham's Private Text-Book Upon Ailments Peculiar to Women and a handwritten letter from her company to a sick woman.

© 2006 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute any of the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org
Harry Finley is the founder and director, and he created, writes and maintains this site.