The Pharmaceutical Origins Of Soda

“Make mine a lemon-lime lithium citrate please, and my friend will have a cocaine and caffeine soda concoction, thanks.” That’s exactly what you might have ordered a soda when pharmacies in the United States first introduced the carbonated beverage that came to be known as soda and served them at dispensary fountains in their local establishments. Before they became mass-marketed refreshments, many of the most popular sodas still around today started out as medicines meant to cure certain ailments such as indigestion, impotence, headaches, and various psychological disorders. Pharmacists claimed their effervescent remedies tasted “so good, people wanted them, whether they needed them or not.” Here’s how these flavorful medicines evolved into the sodas we came to love to drink today… read more >