Prickly Pear Cough Syrup – a local speciality?

Until the mid nineteenth century cochineal was highly sought after as the pre-eminent agent to produce a rich, vibrant red dye.¹ It was the substance used to colour the British army ‘Red Coat’ uniforms.²

This was the lure which led to the introduction of the Prickly Pear cactus in Australia in the early days of European settlement, as it hosts the cochineal insect.  However, the cactus soon became an environmental weed which infested large tracts of the country.³

One inventive local found a way to profit from this nuisance. Drawing on folk medicine, Allan Winston Chapman promoted the use of ‘Prickly Pear Cough Syrup’ as a soothing remedy for babies and children.⁴

A qualified pharmacist, Allan commenced his career with Mr H Bennett in Taree, and worked for a period at Hallam’s in Sydney before opening his own business in Macksville.  In 1935 he purchased the business of L F Gillett in Wingham and, some three years later, purchased the Gloucester Pharmacy from Mr G H Griffin.⁵

Having served in the armed forces in WW2,⁶ Allan Winston Chapman died in Taree in December 1965.⁷

Author: Penny Teerman