Minard's Liniment
Encyclopedia
Liniment
Liniment , from the Latin linere, to anoint, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Preparations of this type are also called balm...
.
History
Like other patent medicines Minard's was also sold by its creator with exaggerated claims. Dr. Levi Minard the King of Pain from Hants County, Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, created Minard's Liniment. The cream is a special liniment for easing stiff, sore muscles, and aching backs.
Dr. Minard's preparation, which he developed in the 1860s from ingredients known to bring comfort and relief, became a popular home therapeutic. Its use became widespread throughout the Maritime provinces and in Newfoundland. The popularity of Minard's Liniment then pushed west into Quebec and Ontario, where it became known as the "King of Pain Relief" because of the immediate relief it brought.
The Minard's Liniment brand was acquired by Stella Pharmaceutical in 1998.
Active ingredients
Camphor: a natural pain relieving analgesic from camphorCamphor
Camphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel , a large evergreen tree found in Asia and also of Dryobalanops aromatica, a giant of the Bornean forests...
trees (a broad-leafed evergreen). Camphor stimulates the nerve endings in the skin, producing numbness at the site of application, inducing relief of pain and discomfort in muscle joints and the area below the skin where applied.
Ammonia Water: an alkaline substance that helps alleviate burning sensations.
Medicinal Turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
: distilled from pine oil, it is a counter-irritant. A counter-irritant produces a mild, inflammatory reaction where applied in order to relieve more deep-seated pain or discomfort. It has analgesic properties and aids in stimulating circulation.