The oldest pharmacy in Argentina is almost 200 years old, it was a meeting point for presidents and its interior preserves frescoes, old bottles and even the memory of an iconic Argentine invention. This is the Farmacia de la Estrella in the heart of Buenos Aires.
A hidden gem in the historic center of Buenos Aires.
Upon entering, the first thing that will catch your attention are the 19th century tinted glass bottles, designed to protect medicines from sunlight. The walls are decorated with frescoes of figures representing health, pharmacy, chemistry and botany.
La Estrella Pharmacy is located in front of the Basilica of San Francisco, on the corner of Defensa and Alsina, and is still a pharmacy where you can buy medicines or even get weighed, but after 200 years of existence, it is also a museum in full light for its objects and for the history it contains. Founded in 1834, it is the oldest pharmacy in the country and one of the oldest in America. It retains much of its original furniture, decoration and structure.
The original mosaic tile floors, carved wood furniture and ornamental details make the pharmacy look like a museum. And in fact, part of the pharmacy functions as such.
In the 19th century, the Farmacia de la Estrella not only sold medicines: it was also a meeting point for political figures such as Julio Argentino Roca, Carlos Pellegrini and Hipólito Yrigoyen, who met in its basement to discuss ideas about the incipient Republic.
In addition, it was here that Melville Bagley, an American immigrant, invented Hesperidin in the 1860s. It was originally intended as a cough syrup, but today you can find it in the bars of Buenos Aires as a normal drink, like Fernet or Vermouth. Melville Bagley is the founder of the Bagley cookie factory.
Did you know that its pharmacists have exclusive authorization to give injections in the Casa Rosada, even to the President?
📍Defensa 201, corner of Alsina
🕰️ Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.