Castoria
Encyclopedia
Laxative
Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and/or bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under...
and ingredients to soothe the stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
.
Pharmacology
- Active laxative ingredient: senna, 33.3 mg/ml
- Other ingredients: citric acidCitric acidCitric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...
, flavor, glycerin, methylparabenMethylparabenMethylparaben, also methyl paraben, one of the parabens, is a preservative with the chemical formula CH3. It is the methyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid.-Occurrence:...
, propylparaben, purified waterPurified waterPurified water is water from any source that is physically processed to remove impurities. Distilled water and deionized water have been the most common forms of purified water, but water can also be purified by other processes including reverse osmosis, carbon filtration, microfiltration,...
, sodium benzoateSodium benzoateSodium benzoate has the chemical formula NaC6H5CO2; it is a widely used food preservative, with E number E211. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid.-Uses:Sodium benzoate is a...
, sucroseSucroseSucrose is the organic compound commonly known as table sugar and sometimes called saccharose. A white, odorless, crystalline powder with a sweet taste, it is best known for its role in human nutrition. The molecule is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose with the molecular formula... - Non-alcoholic
- Non-prescription
Acts within 6-12 hours.
There are no known drug interactions, although as a stimulant laxative
Laxative
Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and/or bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under...
it may affect how long a medicine remains in the digestive tract. It is best not to take senna within 1 to 2 hours of taking other medicines.
Use wisely. Senna can be habit-forming.
Availability
Fletcher's Castoria seems to have been renamed Fletcher's Laxative for Kids, and the Castoria name no longer appears on the product web site. Although marketed as a children's laxative in the US, it is effective for adults.Once a staple of drug stores, Castoria is becoming difficult to find.
Product history
On May 12, 1868, the United States Patent Office granted a patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
to Dr. Samuel Pitcher (1824-1907) of Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. The town contains seven villages within its boundaries...
, for a cathartic
Cathartic
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that accelerates defecation. This is in contrast to a laxative, which is a substance which eases defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathartic...
composed of senna, sodium bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula Na HCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda . The natural mineral form is...
, essence of wintergreen
Wintergreen
Wintergreen is a group of plants. Wintergreen once commonly referred to plants that continue photosynthesis throughout the winter...
, taraxacum
Taraxacum
Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Eurasia and North America, and two species, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, are found as weeds worldwide. Both species are edible in their entirety...
, sugar and water. The remedy was initially sold under the name Pitcher's Castoria. Over time the product formula has changed.
In 1871, The Centaur Company
The Centaur Company
The Centaur Company, founded in 1871, owned and marketed proprietary medicines, notably, the stimulant laxative Fletcher's Castoria and the ointment Centaur Liniment...
was formed by Charles Henry Fletcher
Charles Henry Fletcher
Charles Henry Fletcher organized and led The Centaur Company, makers of the eponymous "Fletcher's Castoria", serving as President and General Manager.-Birth and relatives:...
to purchase the rights to and manufacture Pitcher's Castoria. It was renamed Fletcher's Castoria.
Castoria was the subject of one of the most significant campaigns in early mass advertising. Castoria ads from the 1870s through 1920s are still visible today (or at least were between the 1970s and 2005) on the buildings of New York. See and for photos. At the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
in 1883, there were Castoria ads on virtually every blank wall in sight. They are quite visible in images of the opening of the bridge.
There were two "Fletcher's Castoria" B-17 Flying Fortress bombers during World War II, both part of the 100th Bomber Group. The first was lost, but the crew survived. The second survived the war. Its pilot was William H. Fletcher (not a descendant of Charles Henry Fletcher
Charles Henry Fletcher
Charles Henry Fletcher organized and led The Centaur Company, makers of the eponymous "Fletcher's Castoria", serving as President and General Manager.-Birth and relatives:...
), hence its name.
The Centaur Company was acquired by Sterling Drug
Sterling Drug
Sterling Drug was a global pharmaceutical company based in the United States, known as Sterling-Winthrop, Inc. after the merger with Winthrop-Stearns Inc. and then as Sterling Winthrop Pharmaceuticals, whose primary product lines included diagnostic imaging...
during the 1920s. In 1984, Sterling Drug sold Fletcher's Castoria to Mentholatum Co., Inc.
Mentholatum
The Mentholatum Company, Inc., founded in 1889 by Albert Alexander Hyde, is a maker of non-prescription health care products. It was bought out by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., a Japanese health care company, in 1988...
In 1988 Rohto, a Japanese company, purchased Mentholatum.