Bottle of Hewlett's Damian compound mixture, London, England, 1885-1910

Made:
1885-1910 in London
Sealed bottle of Hewlett's Damian compound mixture prepared by Sealed bottle of Hewlett's Damian compound mixture prepared by

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Sealed bottle of Hewlett's Damian compound mixture prepared by
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sealed bottle of Hewlett's Damian compound mixture prepared by
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sealed bottle of Hewlett's Damian compound mixture prepared by C.J.Hewlett and Son London

This was intended to be sold only as an ingredient for chemists making up prescriptions – if otherwise sold, the label suggests that the seller could be “liable to a penalty”. This is possibly because such extracts from the Damiana herb had been taken in South America since ancient times for their supposed aphrodisiac qualities. Here, the manufacturers C J Hewlett’s & Son suggest it can be used as a constituent of a mixture used to treat “nervous exhaustion”, “chronic alcoholism” and what they describe as “Brain fag” – a phrase once used to describe mental fatigue.