Going through some old papers in the attic of our family farm near Dundalk, Ont., I came across this handwritten recipe among other, less puzzling, instructions for making apple dumplings, buttermilk cake and dandelion wine. It dates, I would guess, from the first or second decade of the 20th century.
For the kidneys
1 pt. good gin 2 oz. sweet nitre 1 oz. oil of juniper 1/2 oz. turpentine 1 good stick of horseradish grated fine.
Shake them up well. Take a wineglass 3/4 parts full 3 times a day.
The 1946 edition of Stedman's Medical Dictionary gives the following definitions:
Sweet nitre. Spiritus aetheris nitrosi: an alcoholic solution of ethyl nitrate, aldehyde and other substances. A sedative, diuretic and diaphoretic in doses of 20–30 min. [ A minum is 1/60th of a fluid drachm: practically speaking, a drop.] Oil of juniper berries. A volatile oil distilled from the fruit of Juniperus communis. A carminative, diuretic and stimulant in doses of 5–15 min.
There is no entry for turpentine.