What were common legal ingredients in medications during the 19th century?

During the 19th century, the medical landscape saw the integration of several substances that were both legally and commonly used in medications. The combination of cocaine, opium, and morphine is significant because these substances played a crucial role in medical treatments available at that time.

Opium was widely recognized for its powerful analgesic properties and was primarily used to alleviate pain and treat various ailments, including diarrhea and cough relief. Morphine, derived from opium, was isolated in the early 19th century and quickly became a staple for pain management, particularly in surgical procedures and for chronic pain relief. Cocaine was also gaining traction during this period, being used for its stimulant and local anesthetic effects, notably in treating ailments like nasal congestion and even as an ingredient in some tonics.

This combination of substances illustrates how 19th-century medicine was characterized by the use of both natural and semi-synthetic drugs derived from plants and their components, which had profound effects on both medical practice and wider societal issues related to addiction and drug regulation.