MEXICAN MUSTANG LINIMENT – Photograph Ed & Kathy Gray

MEXICAN MUSTANG LINIMENT

“the Liniment appears to have been mostly crude petroleum oil”

02 February 2012

MEXICAN MUSTANG LINIMENT – Meyer Collection

Here’s another all-healing Victorian wonder medicine, this time from the early 1850s, called Mexican Mustang Liniment. The main ingredient was rather startling: the Liniment appears to have been mostly crude petroleum oil. For Man & Beast. There is even a Trade Card (pictured below) showing a fallen lass and a horse with Mexican Mustang Liniment on its way!

The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal (1852, Vol. 47, pp 466-67) describes a case where a man thought he took Mexican Mustang Liniment, and felt much better. But as it was the middle of the night, he couldn’t see what his wife was administering to him. In the morning they discovered that she had grabbed a bottle of ink by mistake – had rubbed it on him, and given him a nice spoonful to drink, too.

It was made in St. Louis (not Mexico) by Dr. A. G. Bragg, and later by the Lyon Manufacturing Company. In 1874, Richard Moore gave a receipt for Mexican Mustang Liniment in The Artizans’ Guide and Everybody’s Assistant. He recommended it highly: take equal parts petroleum, olive oil and carbonate of ammonia. Don’t forget to mix well.

“take equal parts petroleum, olive oil and carbonate of ammonia. Don’t forget to mix well”