Story: Medicines and remedies

Advertisement for Bonnington's Irish Moss (1st of 4)

Bonnington's Irish Moss is a syrup used to treat coughs and sore throats. It was invented by 19th-century settler George Bonnington at his home in Richmond, Nelson. He manufactured it on a large scale from the 1860s and it became one of the best-known patent medicines in New Zealand. His firm, George Bonnington Limited, operated until the 1970s. In the 2000s, Bonnington's Irish Moss was manufactured and sold by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline New Zealand.

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How to cite this page:

Pauline Norris and Rosemary Beresford, 'Medicines and remedies - Plants, pills and poultices before 1900', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/28217/advertisement-for-bonningtons-irish-moss (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Pauline Norris and Rosemary Beresford, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 23 May 2018, updated 1 Apr 2020