HADACOL, GERITOL AND LYDA PINKINS

We are up "I" and me. The neighborhood seems quiet as I stood on the porch waiting for "I". We seem to be the only early risers. Or so it does appear. I usually the day before try to think what I am going to write about. Today is my 52nd day of writing this Blog. It seems that about once a week I start getting doubts about the sanity of me doing this for a year. The doubts creep in. People will think I am really nuts I think to myself as I reread some of the ones from the past. And I had to laugh as I reread yesterdays. If anyone read that one, they are probably rolling their eyes. Not many people you know say their ex-husband is a house plant. Oh well. But as I sit here this morning I think, why should I care, what anyone thinks. I have made a commitment to myself. So even if nobody reads them I will write them For 365 days at least. Am I saying anything in the least bit important. No, not at all, but I'm still here, and I'm still writing. So for another day, here goes.

My neighbour Evelyn come over a couple of days ago. Do you remember her? The lady that is ninety-six years old. She talked about how she takes very little medicine. Only vitamins and herbs. And she attributes that to why she has lived so long. I got to thinking about how when I was a kid, Mom didn't take us to the Doctor much. She didn't go much herself. My Dad never. Mom had all of these home remedies. If you had a cold she rubbed you with something greasy, heated a flannel clothe on the stove and pined it to your gown. Oh yes she made hot lemonade too. I loved that. You always felt better when Mom did her routine.

In the late forties a man came out with a medicine called Hadacol. I called my brother . I always call my brother for information. He told me about the man who invented Hadacol. He invented it, had it bottled and promoted the heck out of it. The man's name was Dudley J. Leblanc . He was not a Doctor or a Pharmacist. He touted it as a vitamin supplement. There was a song that came out in the fifties called, "The Hadacol Boogie." Bud said this Leblanc had what they called the "Hadacol Caravan" A music show.. Hank Williams was one of the Caravan members but when they come to bigger cities he would bring in big stars like Bob Hope or Lucille Ball. But Bud said what really sold it was that it was 16% alcohol. he also told me Dad use to buy it and take it sometimes. Bud said he snuck a drink out of the bottle one day and it was terrible. I guess so at 16% achol. It might not of cured anything but made you think you felt better. If you could get past the taste.

About the same time another medicine came out called Geritol. It was suppose to do about the same thing for you, a vitamin supplement but it also had about the same alchol content. So here was another remedy that had a good strong kick to it.

Then in 1950 someone invented a ladies medicine. It was called Lyda Pinkins. It was for women having female troubles or if they was nervous. Now listen up here, the main ingredient was 30% alcohol. So amny a little tee totaler lady swigged that Lyda Pinkins down everyday and swore she never drank.

So the picture coming through here is years ago people didn't take near as many pills as they do today. But they sure took alot of those over the counter medicines that were full of alcohol.I have to smile at the picture, a prim little old lady years ago, complaining about the sins of alcohol and swigging down a bottle of Lyda Pinkins every few days. Oh well to each their own


So we have come in the last fifties years to people buying their bottles of Hadacol to people living on pain pills for every minor ache and pain. Somehow I think Hadacol was not quite so bad for you. But I believe we are a self medicating nation. I drink my walnut tincture everyday and remember it has 100% Vodka in it. I only have a eye dropper full though. So I can't even get buzzed. So I guess I will just take my vitamins, drink my walnut tincture. But I sure wish they still had Hadacol on these cold days. I think it might warm me up.