Nervine was a
patent medicine tonic with sedative effects introduced in 1884 by Dr. Miles Medical Company (later
Miles Laboratories
Miles Laboratories was founded as the Dr. Miles Medical Company in Elkhart, Indiana, in 1884 by Dr. Franklin Lawrence Miles, a specialist in the treatment of eye and ear disorders, with an interest in the connection of the nervous system to ov ...
which was absorbed into
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 Na Br. 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. Ba ...
,
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 c ...
, and
potassium bromide, combined with
sodium bicarbonate and
citric acid
Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in ...
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 and
herbalism
Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern reme ...
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 antianxiety 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 anxiet ...
is the preferred term.
See also
*
Bromide, colloquial use
References
Patent medicines