What is "tar water"

Tar \Tar\, n. [OE. terre, tarre, AS. teru, teoru; akin to D. teer, G. teer, theer, Icel. tjara, Sw. tj["a]ra, Dan. ti[ae]re, and to E. tree. [root]63. See Tree.] A thick, black, viscous liquid obtained by the distillation of wood, coal, etc., and having a varied composition according to the temperature and material employed in obtaining it. Coal tar. See in the Vocabulary. Mineral tar (Min.), a kind of soft native bitumen. Tar board, a strong quality of millboard made from junk and old tarred rope. --Knight. Tar water.

1. A cold infusion of tar in water, used as a medicine.

2. The ammoniacal water of gas works.

   Wood tar, tar obtained from wood. It is usually obtained by the distillation of the wood of the pine, spruce, or fir, and is used in varnishes, cements, and to render ropes, oakum, etc., impervious to water.

Tar-water was a medieval medicine consisting of pine tar and water. As it was foul-tasting, it slowly dropped in popularity, but was revived in the Victorian era. It is used both as a tonic and as a substitute to get rid of "strong spirits". Both these uses were originally advocated by the philosopher George Berkeley, who lauded it in his tract Siris, a chain of philosophical reflections and inquiries, concerning the virtues of tar-water. It was regarded by medical experts to be quackery.