Porter's Liniment Salve

Porter's Liniment Salve

<< >>
Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are: For burns, cuts, bruises, sores, wounds, chapped and cracked skin, boils, rectal irritations, felons, itch, tetter, cold on the chest, lumbago, varicose veins, garget and eczema. For stock. Cuts, scratches, collar and saddle galls, bruises, sore teats on cows, caked udder.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
otc preparation
Other Terms
Patent Medicines; Non-Liquid
date made
after 1916
maker
George H. Rundle Company
place made
United States: Ohio, Piqua
Physical Description
chloretone, 4 gr. to ounce (drug active ingredients)
Measurements
overall: 1 in x 3 1/2 in; 2.54 cm x 8.89 cm
ID Number
1979.0798.175
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.175
Credit Line
Gift of Gary P. and Sandra Baden
subject
Rubs, Liniments & Ointments
Skin & Dermatology Drugs
First Aid Products & Antiseptics
Veterinary Products
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Medicine
Health & Medicine
Beauty and Hygiene Products: Cure-alls
Beauty and Health
Balm of America
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.

Comments

I am 84 years old and my sister is 75 and we were discussing Porters yesterday and we wondered why our folks called this ping king - one person in the reviews stated it use to be called pain king - thanks for the history lesson!! My sons and grandchildren all swear by it and wait till I tell my sister it was pain king instead of ping - we will get a laugh out of that. Thanks for putting this history out where we can read about it.
We always called it “pinking salve”. I figured it was because of the color of new skin healing. But a random whiff today made me go search if it’s still available (it is!) and while nowhere called it “pinking”, Porters came up on every web search. I guess we weren’t the only ones misnaming this yellow stuff in a tin!
Our family was first introduced to the wonder of Porters Salve when our grandmother (beef cattle farmer in Virginia who would use it on the cattle herd when injured) would apply it to our cuts/bumps/bruises sustained while visiting her farm when we were young. It became a staple first aid product in our family & extended families. Some love the smell, some hate it! For me, it always brings back memories of our visits to VA and my grandmother (God rest her soul she lived to be 100 years old), and its therapeutic value is worth its weight in gold. I've used the product most recently on sprained ankles and within 24 hours of sustaining the injury, the swelling and pain diminished by 95%.. unbelievable. I cannot say anymore about Porters Salve.. you have to try it yourself!
Have you read the list of ingredients on the box? It contains myrrh. As in gold, frankincense and myrrh. If you traveled all day on your donkey, you might want to rub some myrrh on your sores. All those years in Sunday School at Christmas time, and nobody explained why the Three Wise Men gave a gift of myrrh.
As others, 3 generations used this. Wonderful salve. We also called it "dog salve". Figured that was because it smells like a wet dog. We knew it was used on animals. It was used religiously in my parents home. Didn't get any a while back, but now having problems finding it. Ty for the tip.
Just like all they rest of us Porters or as I know it growing up pain king is as American as apple pie. We used it on every thing from small scratches to major cut that should of had stitches but never did.I grew up in a small farming town moved to a big city met my wife and introduced her family to Porters. PRAYING THEY NEVER DISCONTINUE MANUFACTURING.
This is a smell from my childhood! I love it! My grandparents used it and my mother put in on a burn my sister got when she was 2. The doctors said it saved her from scarring. I have always had at least one tin in my home. My children have it, too and we are now using it on my granddaughter. It’s amazing!
My grandma used this on her and on me. I brought my children up using this on them. They now use it on their children. Hope it keeps being passed down. It is the best thing ever. I had a friend that was telling me how great this stinky stuff their great grandma had given them in one of her empty pill bottles. I told them I bet it's porters. Can I see it? What I really ment was could I smell it. Soon as I opened it, I laughed, yep. It's porters salve. And told them where to get them a can. Now I buy it on Amazon. Thankfully I can still find it there.
Love, love, love this salve, great for stings, I started using it on my ankle tendon, it has really helped,. My great grandmother used it, when I was little, and I'm 60 now. Best stuff around
My grandmother used Porter's Salve for years. She had a farm & would get cuts tending to the cows. She would out Porter's salve on cuts & they would heal right up. Kept this salve all of the time I knew her. Thank You & all of the people who left comments.
This was my family go to. I remember getting it from the 5 and dime store. Just recently stumbled upon it while talking to my pharmacist it was on the shelf behind her. She thought I was having some sort of mental episode it was like finding a gold nugget!
My Sainted great grandmother lived with when i was little. I'm 63, would not have lived past 10 without it. We put it on every thing. I still do (I love the smell, nostalgia I guess).
My mom has had the same can for at least 26 years, which is how old I am. Works well for preventing a kid licking her lips.
When to Doctor with Toe Nail infection, took Anti-biotic for 8 days, Used Anti-biotic salve and dressing for 10 days. Still had the infection, came home, went out to barn grabbed the can of Porter's salve, I use on my horse with great results. Wrapped my toe for 2 nights, toe looks 100% better, infection almost gone. Next time I see my foot Doc. I'm gone to give him a can. I am 75 and never been without the salve, have used it for every thing you can imagine.. One thing, can you change the smell.
I'm 22 years old and this is still my family's go-to. At least 5 generations of my family have used it, from my great grandparents all the way down to my nephews. Porter's Salve is just one of those timeless remedies. Here's to another 5 generations!
"Ditto, Ditto to both Marion and Brian! I am also in my 60's and my father and grandparents also have used for decades.- 100 % better than corn husker's lotion for cracked skin, So interesting that it is featured in the museum!!!"
"I purchased my most recent can through Amazon as, like Marion, it can be tough to find locally. I'm 60+ and this has been in our household for as long as I can remember. I wish my dad / grandmother were still around to ask how long they had been been using it."
Trying to find this product in local stores. Bought last container about 2 years ago. Best for bug bites and cuts. Stops pain in paper cuts immediately. Our family has used it for years.

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.