WEBVTT - Patent Medicine Evolution: No Beer? ‘Let Them Drink Sarsaparilla’ 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:06.559 Welcome to Criminalia, a production of shondaland Audio in partnership 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:11.840 with iHeartRadio. 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:18.040 Many patent medicines may have done more harm than good, 0:00:18.360 --> 0:00:21.200 or at the very least nothing at all, and we've 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:23.800 been talking about a good many of them so far 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:30.160 this season. Ingredients in patent medicines were unregulated and manufacturers 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:34.640 weren't required to list ingredients on their labels. Products could 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:39.360 contain anything from deadly arsenic to narcotics and alcohol, or 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:44.320 things as benign as vegetables and water. Most patent medicines 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:47.559 didn't help your problem, but there were several products that 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:51.200 originated in that era that we still use to this day, 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:55.400 believe it or not. Although these modern versions typically don't 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:59.320 include exactly the same ingredients as their predecessors, which is 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:02.600 often a good thing, and many no longer claim to 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:07.120 be cure alls, which too is a good thing. Let's 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:09.679 talk about a few of those patent medicine products that 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:15.040 have persisted over the years. Welcome to Criminalia. I'm Maria Tremarki. 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:20.080 And I'm Holly Fry. Let's take, for instance, J Maurice Treener, 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:24.640 head chemist at the Doctor Miles Medical Company in Elkhart, Indiana. 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:28.240 That's a well known patent medicine manufacturer of the late 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:34.280 nineteenth and early twentieth century. Trainer invented those effervescent tablets 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:37.520 that we know as Alka Seltzer. They hit the market 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:40.240 in roughly nineteen thirty and that is, of course a 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:44.280 product that's still sold today. An aspirin was and is 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:48.360 one of its main active ingredients. And then there's vix 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:52.480 Vapo rub, which used to be called Vic's Magic croupsalve. 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:56.360 Once a patent medicine, it remains a commonly used product 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:00.440 for relieving chest congestion. Another that you may reckon nice 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:04.720 is Philip's Milk of Magnesia, used then and now for 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:07.080 gastro intestinal discomforts. 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.600 But here's what we're going to focus on. Some of 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:16.200 our favorite soft drinks too, began as patent medicines. Coca Cola, 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:19.920 now the most popular soda brand in the world, is 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:22.680 one of them. When it first hit the scene, it 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:25.960 was marketed as a patent medicine and had a meteoric 0:02:26.120 --> 0:02:29.960 rise in popularity over the years. Coca Cola and other 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:34.200 sodas didn't just magically appear on the market, though. The 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:38.839 condensed backstory here goes a bit like this. For centuries, 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:42.400 soda water has gone in and out of fashion as 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:46.440 a wellness tonic, and in the nineteenth century, consumers couldn't 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:50.160 get enough of the alleged healing properties of that fizzy water. 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:54.960 Physicians recommended carbonated water as a way to treat various ailments, 0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:59.440 including digestive issues and general fatigue. Though it can be 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:04.840 traced back to ancient times from natural springs, English scientist 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:09.600 Joseph Priestley is credited with creating artificially sparkling water in 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:12.960 seventeen sixty seven when he discovered a way to infuse 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:17.720 water with carbon dioxide. So the succinct explanation on that 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:22.120 is it involved suspending a bowl of water above a 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:26.399 vat of fermenting beer to create a bubbly result. By 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:29.640 the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the soft drink 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:31.240 industry began to gain traction. 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:37.360 Coca Cola was invented by a pharmacist named John Pemberton, 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:41.200 who first brewed the syrup in his Atlanta, Georgia backyard 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:45.280 one night in May of eighteen eighty six. A pharmacist 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:49.320 by trade, Pemberton was no stranger to making patent medicines. 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:53.280 That was a common task in his field, but this 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:57.120 one was personal. He had been injured during his time 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:00.480 fighting in the American Civil War, and he had, as 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:04.680 a result, developed an addiction to morphine, an addiction that 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:08.800 he was hoping to relieve. Medical reports at the time 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:13.120 suggested cocaine might be a cure for morphine addiction, and 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:17.320 as a pharmacist, it's unclear if Pemberton knew about this research, 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:21.600 but it's entirely possible that he could have his recipes 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:26.480 ingredients list contained coca leaves, that's the cocaine cola nuts 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:31.720 which provide caffeine and sugar syrup, and satisfied with his concoction, 0:04:32.200 --> 0:04:35.960 he debuted this new product as quote Coca Cola the 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:37.080 temperance drink. 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:43.160 Okay, so this idea of a temperance drink. Though prohibition 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:47.000 wouldn't hit America until nineteen twenty, it took place during 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:50.400 the years between nineteen twenty and nineteen thirty three. The 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:55.920 country's first serious anti alcohol movement swept the nation beginning 0:04:56.000 --> 0:05:00.040 in the eighteen thirties, so by eighteen thirty the the 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:03.960 average American over the age of fifteen was consuming nearly 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:07.680 seven gallons of pure alcohol annually, which is about three 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:11.400 times as much as we drink today. And this temperance 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:14.880 movement was a push for abstinence that really caught on. 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:20.040 And while legally alcohol could be an ingredient in patent medicines, 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:23.880 many Americans were curtailing how much they drank, but it 0:05:23.920 --> 0:05:29.120 didn't impact stimulants, and some people believed ingredients like cocaine, 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:34.360 coalon nuts, as well as lithium, almaretto and ginger were curative. 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:39.039 While those are not all stimulants, they were all considered 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:43.640 medically beneficial in some way. For the curious, we couldn't 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:46.960 nail down just how much cocaine was in Pemberton's coca cola. 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:51.799 Some reports suggest it had about point zero zero seven 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:54.599 grams of cocaine per ounce of syrup when it was 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:58.800 first bottled, and by nineteen oh two sources suggest it 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:02.520 was probably about one four hundredth of a grain of 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:06.440 cocaine per ounce of syrup, and that equals about point 0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:11.160 zero zero two five grams. Ads claimed the drink was 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:15.000 quote a valuable brain tonic and a cure for all 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:20.400 nervous affections. The now illegal cocaine ingredient was infamously part 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:23.000 of the SODA's recipe until nineteen oh four. 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:27.640 But we're not trying to be unfair to Coca Cola. Legally, 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:30.960 they were not doing anything wrong at the time, and 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:34.520 it certainly was not the only soda that contained stimulants 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:40.120 or other interesting ingredients. Seven Up, which was originally called 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:44.479 BIB labeled lithiated lemon lime soda which rolls right off 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:47.680 the tongue, contained as you may have guessed from that name, 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:51.800 lithium salts, and it quickly became a popular every day 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:55.120 pick me up. Other sodas that came from this era 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:59.560 include Pepsi Cola, which was originally called Brad's Drink after 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:04.159 pharmacy this Caleb Bradham, who invented it Doctor Pepper, believed 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.640 to be the oldest major brand of soft drink in 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:10.760 the United States, as well as Sasparilla soda and root beer. 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:15.080 Unlike how seven Up was popular for its potential mood 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:18.840 lifting qualities. Note that it did contain lithium, but in 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:23.760 small amounts. Sasparilla soda was popular for its alleged long 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:27.200 list of health benefits. So let's take a look at 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:27.880 that reputation. 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.080 Before we get talking about the sas Marilla cureal soda, 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:34.160 We're going to take a break for a word from 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.240 our sponsors. And when we're back, we have a whole 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:50.120 bunch of health claims and promises to talk about. 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:58.200 Welcome back to Criminalia. Need to cure your general wearinesses? Oh, 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.119 have we got a drink for you? 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:05.680 South Marilla like Coca cola, is another interesting patent medicine 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:08.520 turned soft drink because it was not just marketed as 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:12.480 a refreshing beverage. It was marketed as a tonic to 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:17.800 purify the blood and cure various disorders, including heart disease, rheumatism, 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:22.240 and edema. Many maybe even all, but that's a really 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:26.600 bold statement. Many patent medicine tonics in the nineteenth and 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:30.240 early twentieth centuries promised to cure all kinds of things. 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:34.160 After all, they were patent medicines, and that was part 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:37.240 of the deal. One of the best known and most 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:40.880 popular of these health tonics was Sasparilla soda. It was 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:44.840 enjoyed as a tasty beverage for its medicinal purposes, and 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:48.880 even as a popular hangover cure among ranchers and Cowboys 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:49.920 in the American West. 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.960 C I hood In Company, founded by Charles Ira Hood 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:58.480 in eighteen seventy five in Lowell, Massachusetts, was among the 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:02.199 largest patent medicine companies in the United States at the time. 0:09:03.160 --> 0:09:06.640 Their product line was mostly personal health products, but they 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:11.960 also made a well known sasparilla drink HOODS Sasparilla. Their 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:15.240 product was inspired at least in part by the success 0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:19.800 of another brand, and that was AYR Sasparilla. A R 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:23.520 Sasparilla was marketed as a quote blood medicine that could 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:28.640 remove quote poisons from your blood. Spoiler by the way, no, 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:31.800 it did not, But if you believe the labeling on 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.240 a lot of the Sasparilla drinks at the time, they 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.640 claimed a whole lot of things. In addition to quenching 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:41.079 your thirst, of course, they promised to restore your health 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:45.520 and vigor. They promised to treat tuberculosis. Some even promised 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:49.719 to reverse hair loss. Sasparilla, it was claimed, could allegedly 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:55.880 cure headaches, stomach aches, tumors, as well as quote general wearinesses. 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:00.520 And there's more. Some of the medicinal claims also stated 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:04.679 it could cure impotence and prevent flatulence, and could treat 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:08.200 a variety of skin conditions such as exema and psoriasis 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:12.199 if you applied it to your skin. Manufacturers claimed it 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:17.240 would relieve various digestive disorders too, and let's not forget 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:20.800 that for a time, depending on who you asked. It 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:23.839 was also believed to be a cure for various sexually 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:30.680 transmitted infections, specifically herpes, syphilis, and gonorrhea, but like most 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:35.360 patent medicines, sasparillesota was credited with way way more healing 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:38.600 potential than it actually had. It didn't cure any of 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:42.640 these things, but people believed it might, mainly because it 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:45.040 said so on the label, and it also had a 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.320 slightly medicinal flavor. 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.360 And word got around. But it wasn't just word of 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:56.760 mouth that helped its popularity, so did the media. California's 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:00.960 first newspaper, the San Francisco Californian, for instance, included a 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:05.720 sasparilla advertisement in its August seventh, eighteen forty seven edition. 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.160 Shelley and Norris, a store at the corner of Clay 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:13.240 and Kearney Streets, offered more than one hundred products, including 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:18.520 sasparilla soda. Quote for sale, low for cash. The very 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:21.400 first issue of the Marin Journal, which debuted on March 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:26.640 twenty third, eighteen sixty one, contained an advertorial that's part advertisement, 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:30.920 part editorial by the makers of San Sasparilla, who proclaimed 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:35.040 that quote, the promontory symptoms of disease are the precursors 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:39.120 of many fatal maladies, taken upon the first indication of 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:43.440 an attack. If anything will relieve the sufferer, purify the blood, 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:48.040 restore a vigorous character, and thoroughly renovate the system, it's 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:53.160 San Sasparilla. This Sasparilla, they were telling consumers, was not 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:57.640 just a drink, it was medicine. 0:11:57.760 --> 0:12:01.160 During the latter half of the nineteenth century, several other 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:05.320 brands of Sasparo Lnesota were similarly advertised in newspapers across 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:10.800 the country, and brands like Halls, Airs, Bristols, Scoville's, Talafaro's, 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:15.439 and Hoods were all represented. These were all national companies 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.600 except for Talafaro's, a local brand out of Oakland. Using 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:22.520 a local formula created by a local physician named doctor 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:23.319 Alfred W. 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:28.360 Talafaro, Sasparo Milnesota became a go to drink for the 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:31.640 health conscious of the nineteenth century, and it was widely 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:35.360 consumed across the United States. If your town didn't have 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.560 a pharmacy or apothecary, it was still easy to find. 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:41.880 They carried it at your local saloon. We came across 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:46.000 a few instances where modern historians made an interesting observation 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:50.080 that sasparilla was kind of like the kombucha of today. 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.400 It could fix the hitch in your gidea up if 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:54.760 you weren't feeling well, or put a little pep in 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:56.400 your step if that's what you needed. 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:59.160 We are going to take a break forward from our 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:02.160 sponsors now, but when we're back we have a bit 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:05.439 of a bombshell to share about what's really in those 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:06.679 sasparilla sotas. 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:24.040 Welcome back to Criminalia. Let's talk about what sasparilla is, 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:27.360 where it comes from, and why you should also know 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:29.880 about an ingredient called sassafras. 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:36.120 If sasparilla SODA's popularity wasn't solidified before, it sure was 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:40.680 with this anecdote regarding President Calvin Coolidge and prohibition. When 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:45.240 briefed that Americans were discontent of a prohibition because, quote, sir, 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:49.080 the people have no beer. The president is said to 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:53.920 have replied, quote, well, then let them drink sasparilla. 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:58.520 The plant commonly known as sasparilla is native to North 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:01.800 and Central America, and it was used by indigenous peoples 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.840 for various medicinal cures as well as a way to 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:09.480 spice up foods and drinks. A true sasparilla drink is 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.240 made from the dried root bark of any of several 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.880 plants that are part of the genus Smilax, which are green, 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:19.320 climbing vines with these sort of christmasy looking red berries. 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:23.560 Smilax plants have been used in medicinal teas everywhere from 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:27.880 China to Mexico and all places in between. The name 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:32.240 sasparilla comes from a Spanish word, zarsaparia, which has a 0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:35.320 long history of use as a blood cleanser and tonic. 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:39.200 Back to the sixteenth century, sasparilla root was used as 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:44.800 a therapy for arthritis, psoriasis, and other inflammatory disorders. So 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:48.920 it's possible that maybe some of those patent medicine claims 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:53.280 weren't wrong, but they were over promising and they were misleading. 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:58.800 And here's the catch, Flassic sasparilla drinks weren't made from 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:02.560 the extract of the sasas sperrilla plants, its ingredients were 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:07.680 actually from a different root. Instead, drinks were typically made 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:12.720 from sassafras, So let's talk about sassafras. This is a 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:16.840 dried root bark of flowering trees, not vines, and there 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:20.680 are several native to the United States. Although not listed 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:24.160 as ingredients in early versions of the American drink, later 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:29.440 brews included various vegetable extracts too, such as dandelion, man drake, 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:34.720 and juniper berries. Sometimes these sasparilla free drinks were called sasparilla, 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:38.160 but sometimes they were called and you might guess this 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:44.040 root beer. Root beer was less bitter than sasparilla offerings, 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:49.400 but its main ingredient was also sassafras and often winter green, 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:53.120 along with birch oil, licorice root, and maybe some nutmeg. 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:57.520 Like the soft drinks that we mentioned earlier, the sasparilla 0:15:57.560 --> 0:15:59.840 sodas of today are not quite the same as they 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:03.040 wents were, and that's because of a few things, but 0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:07.480 the big one. Those ingredients can be deadly. The roots 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:11.040 and barks of the sassafras tree contain a high concentration 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:15.280 of a chemical called saffrol, and saffrol, the main ingredient 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:19.160 in the drink, is actually really bad for you. Today, 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:22.680 we know that saffrol can cause liver damage. It may 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:27.200 also be carcinogenic, and the risk of developing cancer increases 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:29.880 with how much you consume and for how long of 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.640 a period of time you consume it. Side effects can 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:38.800 include vomiting, high blood pressure, sweating, hot flashes, skin rashes, 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:43.720 and even hallucinations. To that point, saffrol is also used 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:48.280 in the production of the stimulant and psychedelic drug MDMA. 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:55.560 Consuming five milliliters of saffrol, which is roughly just one teaspoon, 0:16:55.960 --> 0:17:00.560 is deadly for an adult. Natural sassafras or saffral have 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:03.560 been banned for commercial use by the United States Food 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:08.359 and Drug Administration since the nineteen sixties. Additionally, drinks bearing 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:13.679 the name sasparilla don't contain actual sasparilla either, as it 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:16.960 too has been banned by the FDA. And it's not 0:17:17.680 --> 0:17:22.240 just drinks. Sassafras was also once used as a food additive, 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:26.960 including in sassafras tea tea. We mentioned tea earlier in 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:30.199 its use around the world. It sounds healthy, right, but 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:33.960 hold on though, because sassafras tea contained a high concentration 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.280 of saffral about four and a half times allowed by 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:41.200 government regulation, and the FDA has also prohibited the use 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:44.040 of sassafras as a food additive because of that, which 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:46.240 also includes its use in root beer. 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:48.200 So what does this. 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:51.320 Mean for what we're really drinking in our sasparilla and 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:56.320 root beer sodas well? They all now use synthetic flavoring 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:58.719 in its place, and you really would never know. 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:03.240 And over time, of course, the claims of medicinal benefits 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:07.600 associated with these sodas fell away, or they were legislated away, 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.919 but people had developed a taste for them, so the 0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:14.679 drinks continued to be marketed. But today they're just touted 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:18.880 as refreshing beverages rather than cure alls. But Maria, would 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:20.639 you like a little sip of something that cures what 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:21.159 ails you? 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:23.399 As long as it doesn't have saffrol in it. 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:34.840 I have a very yummy drink this time, because Maria 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:39.600 accidentally set me up in the best way, because I 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:41.800 told her a few weeks ago. I don't know if 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:44.639 you remember this, Maria, but I had a thing I 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:47.119 wanted to use in a cocktail and I was waiting 0:18:47.200 --> 0:18:51.280 for just the right time, and you accidentally invoked it 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:54.720 in this episode, and here we are, and here we are. 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:57.199 So we're going to start by talking about how to 0:18:57.240 --> 0:19:01.639 make dandelions, sirup, Yeah, because dandelions, and I am a 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:05.119 fan of dandelions. You start this out by gathering a 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:08.679 handful of dandelions. You may in your yard have what 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:12.560 you think are dandelions, but they're actually Carolina desert chickery. 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:16.200 Guess what those are? Also? Okay, both of these plants 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:19.240 are completely fine for you. They're safe for human consumption. 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:21.760 But I also want to say, because we are suggesting 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:24.399 that people pick things from the wild, please be careful 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:27.640 anytime you forage. Use an Identify your app when you can. 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:29.640 I have one on my phone where if I take 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:31.399 a picture of a flower where I'm not one hundred 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:33.960 percent shore or any plant, it'll come back and be like, no, 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:35.760 that one's safe. No, that's not what you think it is, 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:39.560 et cetera. There are many of those, and they're great. Also, 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:42.480 as I just mentioned, just about all parts of the 0:19:42.600 --> 0:19:47.000 dandelion or the desert chickery are edible. You can saute 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:50.320 the leaves, I read a story about somebody even boiling 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:53.840 the stems to be like noodles, which sounded interesting. There 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:55.800 are a lot of options, but I also want you 0:19:55.880 --> 0:20:00.199 to be sure to consult well healed resources for how 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:03.480 to handle them, just so you're eating safely anytime you're 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:06.719 eating something that's grown in the wild. So now that 0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:10.040 we have scared you get your dan allions together. You're 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:13.399 gonna rinse those flowers really thoroughly. You can even dunk 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:15.600 them in a bowl of water for a little while 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:18.520 to make sure any visitors you didn't mean to invite 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:21.840 along the way are eliminated. Rinse them again after that. 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:27.280 I know some recipes for dandelion syrup have you soaking 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:31.119 the dandelion pedals overnight. I don't do that. I do 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:33.840 a different thing. That version has you strain off the 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:36.720 water and then use the remaining water in your syrup. 0:20:37.040 --> 0:20:39.280 But I put the dandelion pedals right on in there. 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:43.120 We'll strain later. You're gonna pluck the petals from the stems. 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:44.920 And when I say a handful, I think I had 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:49.800 fifteen to twenty dandelions. I wish they were a little 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:52.359 bit further along in progression. Mine were kind of like 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:54.960 right at the beginning of starting to bloom. But the 0:20:55.000 --> 0:20:57.159 timing is what it is. I can't make them hurry, 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:00.000 So you pluck the petals from them. You just drop 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:02.879 them into a small saucepan with about one and a 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:05.320 quarter cups of water and a cup of sugar or 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:08.240 sugar substitute, and you're gonna turn up the heat and 0:21:08.280 --> 0:21:10.480 heat it on medium until it comes to a boil, 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:14.080 and then you'll reduce the heat to a simmer. How 0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:17.440 long it simmers will depend on what sweetener you use, 0:21:17.760 --> 0:21:20.359 at least ten minutes, but basically you want to let 0:21:20.400 --> 0:21:23.200 it reduce by about half and then you're just gonna 0:21:23.240 --> 0:21:25.280 let it cool and then you're gonna strain it off. 0:21:25.880 --> 0:21:28.240 You may want a double strain yours. There's always a 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:30.640 little bit of sediment that comes with anything that you're 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:34.960 making like this, especially when you're using natural, unprocessed ingredients. 0:21:34.960 --> 0:21:36.520 So if that really bugs you give it a good 0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:39.280 double strain. But you do want a good mesh strainer 0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:42.080 to begin with that's got a pretty fine a pretty 0:21:42.080 --> 0:21:44.840 fine mesh to it. Now you have your dandillion syrup, 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:47.399 and we are ready to make a drink, and we 0:21:47.440 --> 0:21:50.480 are going to make this by starting out with three 0:21:50.560 --> 0:21:54.040 quarters of an ounce of dandelion syrup. You're gonna match 0:21:54.080 --> 0:21:56.720 that with three quarters of an ounce of lemon juice, 0:21:57.520 --> 0:21:59.840 and then you're gonna make Maria very happy because you're 0:21:59.840 --> 0:22:02.040 gonn an ounce and a half of rye. 0:22:02.160 --> 0:22:04.160 Ah, here we go. 0:22:05.520 --> 0:22:07.720 Give this a shake in your shaking tin, get it 0:22:07.760 --> 0:22:10.480 getting cold, pour it over fresh ice, and then you 0:22:10.560 --> 0:22:13.520 top the whole thing with root beer. I use a 0:22:13.560 --> 0:22:16.000 low sugar root beer because I just I don't like 0:22:16.040 --> 0:22:19.880 super sweet drinks, and that lower sugar just lets some 0:22:19.920 --> 0:22:24.919 really cool stuff happen. Because this drink turns into nothing 0:22:25.000 --> 0:22:30.040 you expect. It doesn't taste the way it smells. The 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:34.400 lemon juice completely changes the flavor profile of the root 0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:37.240 beer as well as the rye. You can't really even 0:22:37.320 --> 0:22:39.600 taste the rye, which is a little bit of a shocker, 0:22:39.640 --> 0:22:43.040 because rye is a very prominent flavor in drinks that 0:22:43.080 --> 0:22:48.040 it's in. When you taste your dandelion syrup, to my palette, anyway, 0:22:48.119 --> 0:22:54.160 it doesn't have a prominent floral note. But somehow, when 0:22:54.200 --> 0:22:57.320 these things combine, you get that sense of flowers were 0:22:57.400 --> 0:23:01.560 involved here. It's a really cool little trick. It happened accidentally. 0:23:01.600 --> 0:23:03.000 I didn't know if this was all gonna work, but 0:23:03.040 --> 0:23:07.040 it did, and then just enjoy your sip. To make 0:23:07.119 --> 0:23:10.960 this a non alcoholic version, it's pretty easy. You're gonna 0:23:10.960 --> 0:23:13.320 get rid of your rye. This is one where you 0:23:13.400 --> 0:23:17.919 want to brew a black tea and maybe add some 0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:20.760 bitters if you are not averse to using bitters. As 0:23:20.760 --> 0:23:24.080 we always say, they have alcohol content, but it's minute 0:23:24.080 --> 0:23:26.160 at the point where you're adding two to three drops. 0:23:26.400 --> 0:23:29.320 But if you do absolutely none, I would put black 0:23:29.359 --> 0:23:32.440 pepper in your tea that's substituting for rye and mix 0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:34.840 it that way. And we are gonna call this one 0:23:35.359 --> 0:23:39.199 the cure Nothing because it won't except for your sadness, 0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:43.080 perhaps because it's so yummy. Yeah, it's the cure nothing, 0:23:43.160 --> 0:23:46.560 because these things didn't really cure anything either. I also 0:23:46.640 --> 0:23:49.760 wanted to use root beer instead of a sasperrilla sota 0:23:49.840 --> 0:23:53.199 because we mentioned that so many of them were actually 0:23:53.240 --> 0:23:55.440 not made with real saasperlet anyway. 0:23:55.720 --> 0:23:59.480 They had similar ingredients anyway, and this sounds like it 0:23:59.520 --> 0:24:03.040 could be possibly my drink of the season. 0:24:03.320 --> 0:24:05.880 It's really good. I will say this too. The other 0:24:06.200 --> 0:24:08.679 reason I wanted to steer away from sasparilla is that 0:24:08.760 --> 0:24:12.560 you can buy it, but it's not as readily available 0:24:12.640 --> 0:24:15.560 on shelves as a root beer. So I'm I never 0:24:15.600 --> 0:24:17.560 want to like come up with a thing that's hard 0:24:17.600 --> 0:24:20.240 for anybody to get a hold of. Ideally, the good 0:24:20.280 --> 0:24:23.119 news is most people have dandelions. If you have a 0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:27.600 perfectly manicured lawn and you never get dandelions, ask a neighbor, 0:24:27.840 --> 0:24:29.960 visit your neighbor. The neighbors can all come to my 0:24:30.040 --> 0:24:34.480 house because even if I try to curtail the dandelions impossible, 0:24:35.160 --> 0:24:38.000 it doesn't work. And that's fine too. This is the 0:24:38.080 --> 0:24:41.479 cure Nothing. Cure's nothing at all, but it cured my 0:24:41.520 --> 0:24:44.360 blues because it worked, which is always a delight when 0:24:44.400 --> 0:24:47.760 you're doing an experiment. I hope you try the Cure Nothing, 0:24:47.800 --> 0:24:53.560 because honestly, it's really delicious. It delivers in stages. You 0:24:53.640 --> 0:24:57.600 get three different flavors, but none of those flavors are 0:24:57.680 --> 0:25:00.760 what you think they're gonna be, and it's not in 0:25:00.800 --> 0:25:03.920 a way where you're like, what is going on here? 0:25:04.080 --> 0:25:08.200 This is quite fascinating. So it's a little scientifically interesting thing. 0:25:08.680 --> 0:25:12.440 And if you make yours with Carolina desert chickory instead 0:25:12.440 --> 0:25:15.639 of dandelion, that I think might change it a little 0:25:15.640 --> 0:25:18.360 bit too. I picked both and only ended up making 0:25:18.400 --> 0:25:21.040 syrup with the dandelions because I just didn't have time 0:25:21.080 --> 0:25:24.480 to do a whole other thing with it. But that's 0:25:24.480 --> 0:25:27.359 also very interesting to me. And chickory shows up everywhere. 0:25:27.520 --> 0:25:30.439 The roots are used in coffee in the South all 0:25:30.480 --> 0:25:33.399