Pinkham, Lydia E(stes)

(born , Feb. 9, 1819, Lynn, Mass., U.S.—died May 17, 1883, Lynn) U.S. patent-medicine proprietor. Pinkham began making Vegetable Compound as a home remedy, sharing it with her neighbours. Her compound, a blend of ground herbs, was 18% alcohol by content. In 1875 the Pinkham family decided to go into business selling the medicine, which Pinkham claimed could cure any “female complaint” from nervous prostration to a prolapsed uterus. It quickly gained acceptance, and the business was soon grossing close to $300,000 a year. Not until the 1920s, when federal regulation of drugs and advertising increased, did the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co. reduce both the alcohol content of the medicine and the claims for its efficacy.

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