Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Random Childhood Memory

When I was young, children with diarrhea were given paregoric to ease it. Paregoric is also known as camphorated tincture of opium. It also contains anise, so it tastes like licorice. My mother used to give it to us in a teacup with warm water and a teaspoon of sugar. It was tasty stuff and gave you a warm glow inside. These days it's still produced but is a Schedule III drug in the US, so good luck getting your hands on some. Probably a good idea, since I'd probably abuse the stuff in a serious way if I had any.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Way better than drinking muddy water. (Kaopectate)

I read somewhere that Kaolin (the active ingredient) is clay.