cardui

Cardui was a brand-name patent medicine marketed in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a tonic for women. Advertised as a remedy for “female troubles” and general fatigue, it was promoted to a broad audience through newspapers, catalogs, and storefronts, often with testimonials from purported users. The product was part of the wider patent medicine industry of the era, a marketplace characterized by unregulated claims about health benefits.

Formulations varied, and claims commonly included improving strength, vitality, regulating menstrual flow, and alleviating general weakness. Exact ingredients are not consistently documented in modern sources; contemporary accounts suggested tonics and iron-containing formulations, but there was no standardized recipe across batches.

Regulation and public scrutiny: By the early 20th century, growing regulation and consumer protection movements began to challenge unverified medical claims. The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and related measures contributed to a decline in many patent medicines, and brands like Cardui gradually disappeared or were reformulated.

Legacy: Cardui is frequently cited in discussions of gendered medicine and the history of the American patent medicine industry. It has become a case study in how products marketed to women were described in advertising and how regulatory changes altered medical marketing.

Note: If the term Cardui is intended to refer to something else, such as a modern software library or user-interface concept (CardUI), this article reflects the historical medicine usage.