Sniffles and tickly cough, be banished! (Buttercup Original Flavour Syrup)

Member Name: hypno06

Product:	Buttercup Original Flavour Syrup
Date:	24/01/09 (343 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soothing and effective - does what it needs to do!

Disadvantages: No spoon in the box!!

Several weeks ago, I developed a sore throat - quite suddenly, whilst at work. I announced to my secretary that I was just going to nip out to Boots for some lozenges and she suggested that I buy some Buttercup syrup instead. Her actual words were "I guarantee you will feel better"........and whilst I wouldn't have asked her for my money back if it hadn't worked, it is always nice to get a personal recommendation for something.

So off to Boots I trotted for a bottle of Buttercup. It is available without prescription, and is not even behind the Pharmacy bit - you can pick this beauty up from the shelf.

Buttercup comes in an "infant" formula, and the original version which is suitable for children over the age of 2, right through to adulthood. It should be noted that as with all medicines, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding you should speak to your doctor before taking this.

The bottle is contained in a green box, similar to the one shown above, but with the addition of the words "non-drowsy" on the top, which is quite important to me, as I was using this at work.....I didn't want to be falling asleep at my desk, or even worse, at the wheel on my way home.

A 200ml bottle costs in the region of £4 - fairly standard I think for any sort of cough cold medicine.

So.....Buttercup syrup says that it is soothing and effective - good, that is what I need! It also says it provides relief from coughs, colds and sore throats.

The active ingredients in Buttercup are Squill liquid extract, and Capsicum tincture, both of which mean nothing to me - I didn't recognise them. The other ingredients include peppermint oil, clove oil, and ginger tincture - all of which I do recognise, and which all make sense in a medicine such as this one.

The taste is aniseed - but not as strong as some medicines I have tried in the past. I would even go so far as to say it is quite comforting. Given that this is suitable for children aged 2 upwards, the taste is not, in my opinion, too strong for such youngsters, but of course aniseed is one of those flavours that some people just don't like.

I took my two 5ml spoonfuls, as directed, and very quickly felt soothed. I took another couple of spoonfuls later on, and my sore throat didn't return.

Now, I am not claiming that I would have developed a full blown cold if I had not taken this, but I am saying that I felt better that day, and could get on with my work without the aggro that a sore throat gives.

Buttercup is quite a simple linctus, but one that I felt was effective for relatively mild symptoms.

My children have since come down with various cold-like symptoms, including a niggly cough, and the Buttercup has helped there too - easing things enough to get on with their day, without dragging them down.

Even though this is "non-drowsy", I found that it was good to give a coughing child at bedtime - the simple linctus just soothes the tickly niggly cough enough for them to get a good night's sleep, and for that alone, it has to be worth a try.

I never underestimate the power of the placebo effect, and of course it may be that this medicine has just enough of the "medicinal taste" to make you feel as though you are better.

But, placebo, or effective medicine, it doesn't matter - this old fashioned type of syrup has seen us through the last few weeks quite nicely.

With a "use before" date some 3 years in the future, it is perfectly safe to put a bottle of this in the bathroom cabinet for use when you need it......it isn't going to go "off" in a hurry! I will certainly make sure I have a bottle in reserve.

My only small tinsy winsy gripe, is that no spoon is enclosed in the box, so you have to remember to ask the pharmacist for a medicine spoon, or use a normal teaspoon. Also, the bottle does not have a childproof cap, just a simple twist cap......but I have found that children can work childproof caps far better than most adults, anyway! This bottle should, obviously, be stored out of the reach of youngsters, and if anyone does exceed the normal dose, advice should be taken from a doctor.

All in all, I was happy to report to my secretary, that I was thankful for her recommendation.......and I didn't need to ask her for my money back, after all!

Summary: An excellent simple linctus