Warner’s Log Cabin Remedies consisted of an entire line of products designed to appeal to that portion of the American market that had embraced the nation’s pioneering spirit as a virtue. The Log Cabin Remedies only existed for five years and were phased out in 1892 when the company was sold to British investors.
During their short lifetime, the Log Cabin Remedies offered consumers relief from almost every known malady. All of the bottles are rated from Good to Rare by Warner’s collectors and those with labels add a premium to the value. By far, the most difficult to find is the Scalpine, which appeared with both a Scalpine label and a Hair Tonic label at various times. On the other end of the spectrum, the Extracts and the Sarsparillas are the most frequently found. The Log Cabin Remedies were as follows:
HOPS & BUCHU REMEDY – (Large Size) – promised to cure dyspepsia (indigestion) and disorders of the stomach, flatulence, pain after eating, liver cough, constipation, vertigo, sick headache, dizziness, bad taste in the morning or coated tongue, hot and dry mouth, pain in the left breast, palpitation of the heart, irritability, vexation of the mind, lump like feeling in the throat after eating, belching wind, sore stomach, heartburn, irregularity of the bowels, etc.
SARSPARILLA – (Large Size) – promised to cure all blood disorders, scrofula, kings evil, salt rheum, erysipelas, humors of all kinds, scald head, general debility, malaria, ulcers, chronic catarrh, rheumatism, neuralgia, syphlitic and mercural boils, pimples, pain in the back, dizziness, constipation, congestion, liver torpidity, biliousness, tired feelings, skin eruptions, female irregularities, dyspepsia, indigestion, liver complaints, common kidney derangements, dropsy, etc.
SCALPINE – (Large Size) – would remedy all scalp disorders, dandruff, itching, humors, scald head, ring worms, checks the falling out of hair and increases growth, softens harsh brittle hair, restores gloss, stimulates hair growth, and prevents baldness, prevents premature grey hair.
[NOTE: Remember, Warner was also marketing Benton's Hair Grower, which would seem to be a product that offers similar hair-related promises.]
COUGH & CONSUMPTION - (Small & Large Size) – promised to cure consumption, coughs, colds, lung troubles, after effects of pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, and all diseases leading up to consumption, dependent upon the congestion or inflamed condition of the mucuous membranes of the throat and air passages.
EXTRACT – (Small & Large Size) – was intended to remedy rheumatism, neuralgia, burns, scalds, sprains, bruises, insect bites, chapped hands, chilblains, pain in back, lungs, sides, and limbs, swollen or stiff joints, contracted tendons, inflamed breasts, corns, toothaches, sunburn, face aches, sore throat, mumps, frost bites, stings, curry sores, etc.
[NOTE: I had to find out what "chilblains" and "curry sores" were. Chilblains are defined as "inflammation of the hands and feet caused by exposure to cold and moisture." Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the definition of curry sores is lost to history.]
ROSE CREAM – promised to cure catarrh, rose cold, hay fever, influenza, cold in head, sniffles, deafness, discharges from throat, nose and head.
PLASTERS – were intended for rheumatism, chronic aches and pains, backache, sore and tender bowels and congestion of the stomach, liver, lungs and kidneys.
With a line of products like the Log Cabin Remedies, it’s hard to imagine that you would need any other products. For H. H. Warner, however, the Log Cabin Remedies merely complimented his Safe Cure line. It’s impossible to say whether any of the Log Cabin Remedies attracted customers that would otherwise have purchased products in the Safe Cure line, but, given the fact that both income streams enriched Warner, the question is academic.
