Out 1 December 2026

Curious Cures & Dubious Medicines

Ancient Remedies Your Doctor Won't Tell You About

Helen Bancroft

Somebody in 1847 wrote "this works" in the margin of a recipe for onion cough syrup. A few pages later, someone else recommended curing a sore throat with a live frog.

Over seventy real remedies from Victorian notebooks and apothecary ledgers, with honest, frequently horrified commentary on which ones actually work.

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About the book

Helen Bancroft found her grandmother's notebooks in a loft in the Cotswolds. She intended to have a quick look. That was two years ago.

The result is a gathering of remedies for colds, creaky joints, troubled stomachs, sleepless nights and flagging spirits, each reproduced in its original period voice and followed by a straight answer to the only question that matters.

Over seventy remedies, from honey and lemon to arsenic complexion wafers
Cocaine wine endorsed by a pope, snail syrup, and a bath full of electric eels
"Does it actually work?" answered for every single one
Clear warnings wherever the past got it dangerously wrong
Illustrated throughout, bound in forest-green cloth with gold foil

The book standing at an angle, showing the gold-foiled spine and front cover

A look inside

Every remedy starts in the notebooks, then gets the modern once-over.

"For sprains, bruises, and bones that mend poorly: take fresh comfrey leaves and pound them in a mortar until a green paste is formed."

The open book at the Comfrey Poultice spread, with illustration, period recipe and commentary

Some of them actually work. Some of them spectacularly don't. None of it is medical advice.

The details

ISBN	978-1-9195405-0-4
Format	Hardback, cloth over boards, gold foil
Extent	172 pages, illustrated in colour
Size	216 × 138 mm
Published	1 December 2026
RRP	£18.99

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