Nervine was a
patent medicine tonic with sedative effects introduced in 1884 by Dr. Miles Medical Company (later
Miles Laboratories
Miles Laboratories (originally the Dr. Miles Medical Company) was a pharmaceutical company founded in Elkhart, Indiana, in 1884 by Dr. Franklin L. Miles, a specialist in the treatment of eye and ear disorders, with an interest in the connection ...
which was absorbed into
Bayer
Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...
). It is a cognate of 'Nerve', and the implication was that the material worked to calm nervousness.
Formulation
One form of Nervine was formulated with the primary active ingredients
sodium bromide
Sodium bromide is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a high-melting white, crystalline solid that resembles sodium chloride. It is a widely used source of the bromide ion and has many applications.Michael J. Dagani, Henry J. Barda, T ...
,
ammonium bromide
Ammonium bromide, NH4Br, is the ammonium salt of hydrobromic acid. The chemical crystallizes in colorless prisms, possessing a saline taste; it sublimes on heating and is easily soluble in water. On exposure to air it gradually assumes a yellow ...
, and
potassium bromide
Potassium bromide ( K Br) is a salt, widely used as an anticonvulsant and a sedative in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with over-the-counter use extending to 1975 in the US. Its action is due to the bromide ion ( sodium bromide is equa ...
, combined with
sodium bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cat ...
and
citric acid
Citric acid is an organic compound with the formula . It is a Transparency and translucency, colorless Weak acid, weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in Citrus, citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, ...
in an effervescent tablet.
[{{cite web, url= https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1339050 , title= Miles Nervine Effervescent Tablets, website= National Museum of American History, date= c. 1940, access-date= April 24, 2022]
Modern appropriation of term
In the late 20th and early 21st century, promulgators of
alternative medicine
Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...
and
herbalism
Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...
have begun to use the term Nervine as an adjective. This is not a term used by mainstream medicine, where
anxiolytic
An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or anti-anxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxie ...
is the preferred term.
See also
*
Bromide (language)
Bromide in literary usage means a phrase, cliché, or platitude that is trite or unoriginal. It can be intended to soothe or placate; it can suggest insincerity or a lack of originality in the speaker. Bromide can also mean a commonplace or tir ...
References
Patent medicines