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You’ve Got by Judy Weaver-Gonyeau, managing editor

America’s Longest-Lasting Soft Drink

ourage. Pluck. Perseverance. … Moxie. Because of Thompson’s well-
A little bit sweet, a little bit bitter. known reputation as a good
CWhat some would call an “acquired physician and his popularity
taste.” Who knew this aptly named “Nerve across New England, Moxie
Nerve Tonic became a quick
Food” would become more popular than success, selling over five million
Coca-Cola? bottles during its first year.
Thompson was forced to give up
Where Did That Drink his practice in order to handle his The Moxie
Come From? new company – something he did Ted Williams
Augustin Thompson (Union, Maine 1835-1903), a with regret. bottle
decorated Civil War veteran turned physician, attained his
degree from the Hahnemann Homeopathia College, gradu- What Is In It?
ating with honors. With a focus on holistic medicine, There were several
Thompson’s practice grew so fast that by 1885, it boasted different stories (or “Tall
one of the largest patient lists in New England. Tales”) floating around
As different drinks with “medicinal properties” were regarding the ingredients
introduced to the market from a variety of “experts,” Late 1800s Moxie Nerve used to create Moxie. By
Thompson’s wanted to produce his own medicinal drink Food bottle many accounts, it was
that did not contain harmful ingredients sometimes used in told that Dr. Thompson
other drinks, such as cocaine, arsenic, and alcohol. In 1876, he felt he learned about the nerve-healing
accomplished this when he created and patented a potent mixture using properties of a “mysterious root”
the gentian root, and later released it as a medicinal syrup in 1884. used by a group of natives while he
In Volume 1 of The Moxie Encyclopedia, Thompson is quoted as was traveling in South America in
saying, “I found it cured anything caused by nervous exhaustion. It 1875 (or 1874). Thompson is then
restored nervous people who were tired out mentally or physically; said to have brought it back to the
stopped the appetite for U.S. following his adventures.
intoxicants in old drunk- Another account speaks about
Late 19th century Moxie bottle ards, insanity, blindness Thompson’s blending two secret
from overtaxing the sight, ingredients gathered from a Native
paralysis, all but heredi- American tribe in Maine.
tary sick-headache, loss of However, it was later determined
manhood from excesses, that the mysterious root was actually
made people able to the gentian root, a fairly common
[with]stand twice their substance that was used in tonics
usual amount of labor, dating as far back as 170 B.C.
mentally, or physically,
with less fatigue. It cured What a Name!
two cases of softening of When it comes to the name
the brain and recovered “Moxie," some references say the
helpless limbs. I found it South American Indians referred to
to be neither medicine nor the root as “Moxie," while others say
stimulant, but a nerve food, and harmless as milk.” In 1885, the word may have been taken from
Thompson received a trademark for the term “Moxie,” added the Native American Abenakis from
carbonization, and then sold it to the public as a “refreshing” drink. coastal Maine who some believe used

20 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles