20 Things You Didn’t Know Were Once Advertised as “Healthy”
From cigarettes to cocaine, discover the bizarre and shocking history of everyday products once marketed as “healthy” — where science and advertising collide in the most unexpected ways!
- Alyana Aguja
- 6 min read
Historically, numerous goods that were heralded as “healthy” products in the past now appear crazy in retrospect, ranging from cigarette sold by doctors to heroin’s use as an infant cough remedy. During eras when science research did not yet grasp danger, advertisers spoke boldly about a product that coaxed people into believing in health miracles and magic cures. This list reveals the shocking and frequently surprising products that were once considered to be good for us, and how far we’ve come in knowing about health — and how easily we were tricked by clever advertising.
1. Cigarettes
Image from Wikipedia
In the early 20th century, cigarette manufacturers placed advertisements stating doctors prescribed brands such as Lucky Strike or Camel for throat comfort. They even placed advertisements like “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” This was before doctors and researchers made smoking and cancer connections widely recognized or known.
2. Cocaine
Image from Duke Health
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, cocaine was touted as a cure-all for everything from toothaches to exhaustion. Such products as “Cocaine Toothache Drops” were even available for children. It was also an original ingredient in Coca-Cola before being discarded in 1929.
3. Tapeworm Diet Pills
Image from Verywell Health
Yes, this was actually a thing during the early 1900s. Adverts encouraged ingesting tapeworm cysts to “eat the food for you” and aid in weight reduction. These were typically sold as innocuous pills, without caution regarding the drastic health impacts.
4. Heroin
Image from DEA.gov
In the 1890s, Bayer (the same firm that makes aspirin) marketed heroin as a “non-addictive” alternative to morphine. It was also marketed as a cough suppressant for children. It wasn’t long before the world learned heroin was much more addictive and deadly than morphine.
5. Radiated Water (Radithor)
Image from Wikipedia
In the 1920s, Radithor, or radium-laced water, was sold as a health tonic. It guaranteed a boost in energy and vitality and was even championed by athletes. The most celebrated case culminated in tragedy when a rich industrialist succumbed to radiation poisoning after consuming it regularly.
6. Lard
Image from Wikipedia
In the early 20th century, lard was marketed as a healthy and wholesome fat for cooking. Companies claimed it was “pure” and “easily digestible,” a superior alternative to butter. Modern research has shown that frequent consumption of saturated fats like lard can contribute to heart disease.
7. Amphetamines (Benzedrine)
Image from The Atlantic
Initially available over the counter in the 1930s, Benzedrine was promoted to treat everything from nasal decongestion to increased energy and weight loss. It was advertised to housewives, students, and even soldiers. It wasn’t until much later that it was understood to be highly addictive, and it was controlled.
8. Mercury
Image from Britannica
Long before it became infamous as toxic, mercury had been used medicinally to treat everything from syphilis to constipation. It was taken as a rejuvenating tonic during the 18th and 19th centuries. Chronic exposure, naturally, resulted in extensive poisoning, notoriously alluded to in the saying “mad as a hatter.”
9. Soda (as a health tonic)
Image from www.sodapressco.com
Soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper were initially distributed in pharmacies as medicinal tonics. Coca-Cola was claimed to ease fatigue and headaches, and Dr. Pepper was sold as aiding digestion. The beverages were loaded with sugar, caffeine, or even tiny doses of stimulants.
10. Vibrating Belts
Image from Daily Mail
In the 1950s and ’60s, vibrating exercise belts were sold as a passive way to lose fat. Ads showed women lounging while the belt “did the workout” for them. Science eventually debunked the idea, revealing that these machines do nothing for weight loss.
11. Asbestos
Image from Wikipedia
Believe it or not, the so-called “miracle” material asbestos used to be praised and marketed as safe and sanitary. It appeared in everything from infant blankets to hair dryers. It took many years to discover its connection to deadly cancers such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.
12. Sugar
Image from Wikipedia
In the 1940s and ’50s, sugar was promoted as an energy drink and even as a diet tool. Some advertisements suggested eating sweets before meals to suppress hunger. Sugar lobbies also paid for research in the 1960s to play down sugar-heart disease connections.
13. Beer (for lactating women)
Image from Clawhammer Supply
Mid-20th-century ads implied that beer helped nursing mothers produce more milk. Some even featured doctors or nurses endorsing a cold brew as healthy postpartum. In fact, alcohol can disrupt milk production and be dangerous for infants.
14. Opium
Image from Wikipedia
During the 1800s, opium syrups such as “Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup” were sold for teething infants. It was said to soothe babies and ease pain, and it did due to its high opiate concentration. These medicines were later withdrawn when infant death due to overdosing became apparent.
15. Lead
Image from Britannica
Lead was used extensively in cosmetics, paint, and even food containers and was generally sold for its “pure white” quality. Lead-based face powders were fashionable among elite women because they provided a porcelain look. Chronic exposure resulted in poisoning, infertility, and neurological complications over time.
16. Snake Oil
Image from NPR
Snake oil initially meant Chinese medicines produced using real snake fat, but in America, it came to mean false health tonics. The 19th-century salesmen hawked it as a panacea for arthritis to baldness. Few were effective, but some contained alcohol or opiates that created a temporary response.
17. Bovine Growth Hormones (for human health)
Image from News-Medical
During the 1990s, rBGH-treated cow milk was sold as safe and healthy. Some dairy farmers said it improved milk yield and healthier animals. Later, health activists and scientists expressed concern regarding hormone residue and its possible connections to cancer.
18. Tobacco Enemas
Image from Wikipedia
Yes, this was for real. Tobacco smoke enemas were given as a lifesaving remedy to victims of drowning back in the 18th century. The notion was that smoke would heat the body and stimulate breathing. It didn’t, and the practice was ultimately discontinued.
19. Arsenic Pills (for beauty)
Image from Explore the collection
In the Victorian period, arsenic-based beauty pills were sold to women to “brighten” the complexion and “clear” the skin. They were promoted as a safe and scientific method of attaining radiant skin. With time, frequent users showed signs of extreme poisoning, such as skin disfigurement and organ failure.
20. Electric Corsets
Image from Electric Ladies Zap
In the late 1800s, “electric corsets” were advertised as stimulating internal organs and health. They contained wires that supposedly transmitted healing electricity from the wearer’s body heat. Spoiler: they didn’t work, but the placebo effect likely sold a few units.