Blast from the past

I was prompted to dig up the advertisement above, from the 1940's, by the story about Benzedrine to be found in reference 1, in the chapter about Prozac. From page 171 in my copy.

A drug, the development of which had originally been prompted by a Chinese traditional medicine involving a plant called ephedra, was originally intended to be used as a nasal decongestant. Then widely used in the Second World War to keep soldiers awake and alert. An improvement on the brandy and rum which had been used before that to get soldiers over the top, on the move? It went on to be the wonder drug of the day. And if this advertisement is anything to go by, a good earner.

For a more up-to-date take on it, its uses, its relatives and its risks, see reference 3.

References

Reference 1: A cure for darkness: the story of depression and how we treat it – Alex Riley – 2021.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_(plant).

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine.