How did alcohol in late-19th-century nostrums affect users?

Toward the end of the 19th century, manufacturers of nostrums frequently used alcohol as a solvent in their preparations. Because these products often lacked potent medicinal ingredients, the alcohol served as the primary active agent, providing its characteristic physiological effects to the satisfaction of the users.1

These preparations, often marketed as patent medicines, were frequently sold with false or exaggerated claims regarding their ability to cure serious conditions such as tuberculosis, cancer, and syphilis. The reliance on alcohol—and sometimes other dangerous or addictive substances—meant that users were often consuming products that were not only ineffective for their stated purpose but also potentially hazardous.12

Public concern over these deceptive and dangerous practices, fueled by investigative journalists known as muckrakers, eventually led to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This legislation required manufacturers to disclose the presence and quantity of alcohol and other specific substances on product labels, helping to curb the unchecked exploitation of consumers.23