Medicine chest ‘time capsule’ that reveals the exotic potions used by doctors in 1817 goes on sale

• Perfectly preserved mahogany box found at house in Derbyshire
• Comes complete with 29 bottled concoctions
• Remedies include Manna, Steers’s Opodeldoc and peppermint water
• Expected to fetch over £3,000 at auction

It contains a collection of healing potions and cure-alls unlikely to be prescribed by any GP today.

But a perfectly preserved medicine chest dating back to the reign of George III is expected to fetch more than £3,000 when it sells at auction later this week.

The mahogany box, described as a ‘medicinal time capsule’, comes complete with 29 exotically named bottled concoctions that would have been used by doctors to treat ailments such as gout, depression and indigestion.

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