Kendal Black Drop
Encyclopedia
Kendal Black Drop was a drug based on opium
. Named after Kendal
in the Lake District
, England
, it is associated with the romantic poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
.
Black Drop was a 19th century dark medicine
made of opium, vinegar
, spices, often with sugar
, sometimes called Black drops, and known in Great Britain
and North America
.
One recipe for Black Drop began, "Macerate the opium and nutmeg in . . . the diluted acetic acid
, for seven days, stirring frequently . . .".
As well as Kendal Black Drop, there were versions called Lancaster and Armstrong's Black Drop. Other names given in a 19th century Cyclopædia of Several Thousand Practical Receipts were Quaker's or Toustall's Black Drop, after a Dr. Toustall of the Society of Friends in County Durham
who is said to have invented the recipe.
In 1823 Byron referred to it in his poem Don Juan
:
" . . . for Cupid's cup
With the first draught intoxicates apace,
A quintessential laudanum
or 'black drop',
Which makes one drunk at once . . ."
At first Coleridge welcomed the relief from pain provided by Kendal Black Drop, but was later to say that his "eyes had been opened to the true nature of the habit into which I had been ignorantly deluded by the seeming magic effects of opium".
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
. Named after Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, it is associated with the romantic poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
.
Black Drop was a 19th century dark medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
made of opium, vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
, spices, often with sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, sometimes called Black drops, and known in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
One recipe for Black Drop began, "Macerate the opium and nutmeg in . . . the diluted acetic acid
Acetic acid
Acetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CO2H . It is a colourless liquid that when undiluted is also called glacial acetic acid. Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar , and has a distinctive sour taste and pungent smell...
, for seven days, stirring frequently . . .".
As well as Kendal Black Drop, there were versions called Lancaster and Armstrong's Black Drop. Other names given in a 19th century Cyclopædia of Several Thousand Practical Receipts were Quaker's or Toustall's Black Drop, after a Dr. Toustall of the Society of Friends in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
who is said to have invented the recipe.
In 1823 Byron referred to it in his poem Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
:
" . . . for Cupid's cup
With the first draught intoxicates apace,
A quintessential laudanum
Laudanum
Laudanum , also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight ....
or 'black drop',
Which makes one drunk at once . . ."
At first Coleridge welcomed the relief from pain provided by Kendal Black Drop, but was later to say that his "eyes had been opened to the true nature of the habit into which I had been ignorantly deluded by the seeming magic effects of opium".