Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

>"Steve Pope" > wrote in message

>> George Shirley > wrote:

>>>On 6/11/2010 1:44 PM, Steve Pope wrote:

>>>> My father (born 1912) related that originally, Moxie contained
>>>> a strong stimulant, stronger than caffeine. What exactly it
>>>> was is uncertain. (Probably not cocaine, as I believe that was
>>>> already illegal in soft drinks by that point.)

>>>The law that outlawed cocaine, pot and heroin, to the best of my
>>>knowledge came into being in 1934.

>> Thanks. In this case, the Moxie during my father's childhood
>> might have had cocaine in it.

>No mention of it in Wikipedia
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie

>Moxie originated as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food,"[1] which
>was created around 1876 by Dr. Augustin Thompson. Thompson claimed that it
>contained an extract from a rare, unnamed South American plant, which had
>supposedly been discovered by a friend of his, Lieutenant Moxie,[1] who had
>used it as a panacea. Moxie, he claimed, was especially effective against
>"paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia."[1]


Hard to draw any conclusions from the above.

Who knows. This is probably lost to antiquity. But I have
no reason to doubt my father's account of the effects of the drink.

Steve