On Jul. 19, 1884, the Medical Record reported that the main ingredient in a bottle of Hunt’s Remedy was dogbane (Apocynum cannabium), a traditional Native American treatment for dropsy (oedema).

The Remedy became popular in the 1870s after it was acquired by William Clarke of Providence, Rhode Island, and heavily advertised.

The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, which forced companies to accurately label their ingredients and regulated their hyperbolic health claims resulted in the product disappearing from apothecary stores.