The Lozenge of Luuurrrve. (Strepsils Lozenges)

Member Name: katestuartuk

Product:	Strepsils Lozenges
Date:	02/10/07 (253 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: They Are very soothing and taste quite nice...

Disadvantages: They have an E number in and they give me heartburn. Tho everything is giving me heartburn...

Strepsils
Honey and Lemon

I have to tell you that it's a very long time since I had a proper cold. Usually, when I feel the first tinglings of a cold or the lung rumbling of a cough, I hit the Echinachea tincture, the garlic capsules and make a large pan of what our family has always called Milk Tattie Soup. Scarily easy and incredibly effective, I will share this recipe with you at the end of the review. I am, you see, very keen on herbal, natural remedies for coughs, colds and such, and because of this, tend to stay well clear of pharmacy shelves when those first sensations of "there be a cold approaching, there be!!" creep over me!

However, and it's a big however - since I got pregnant I've managed to stay away from coughs, colds and generally people with both have tended to stay away from me, so I haven't had the pleasure of either all year (hooray!) until last thursday. The day before my due date, though as I write this, 11 days later, baby is still not here - but the cold I aquired is! Sore throat, blocked sinus's, a cough that seals would be proud to own, and the gunkiest nose ever known to mankind.

So many people have said you shouldn't use Echinachea in pregnancy, and I have been so exhausted that the thought of boiling up a pan of miracle soup has just been beyond comprehension, that I have suddenly found myself in the middle of a full blown cold and so have had to take certain, before unhead of, measures. Like getting Himself to buy me a box of Strepsils.

The Product

Well, Strepsils are admittedlly full of active ingredients that make no sense to me - I have no idea what Dichlorobenzyl is, and neither do I know what Amylmetacresol is, but I do know that these little yellow beauties (and yes, they have E104 in them, mores the pity) actually do what they say on the box. They are very soothing if you have a sore throat, and the peppermint oil and lemon oil in them does wonders for a blocked up nose. The antiseptics in them (there are two, apparently...) help to fight against the infection, though it has to be said that 6 days into this cold, and a whole packet of Strepsils later, I still haven't managed to kick it into touch, whereas I know had I been self medicating with my herbal remedies, I would have been fighting fit by saturday morning... However, these are good for what they are.

The pack Himself bought for me was from Tesco, and cost £2.28 for 16. the lozenges come in a box with the logo in black and the Strepsils sign in yellow. Inside you will find two silver foiled packets with each lozenge individually sealed.

Strepsils are suitable for adults and children, though if you have an intolerance to carbohydrate, you should steer clear of this product. Worryingly, it states on the back of the packet that one of the allergic reactions this product may cause, is asthma. I don't have asthma, but if I did, I would probably steer clear of them too. At the moment I'm too annoyed at actually having a cold in the first place and being 11 days overdue to care too much about what's in my throat lozenges, which is not like me at all!!

I would recommend these as a last ditch attempt to soothe a sore throat and help with the symptoms of a cold, but only really after you've exhausted all the natural possibilities. Echinachea tincture is the bees knees, works a treat, especially if you gargle with it first. Garlic too acts like some sort of crazy natural antibiotic, reaching into the depths of your system and battering the heck out of bugs and infections. Honey is a natural healer too, and a cup of hot water (not too hot though!) with a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of honey will do wonderful things for a cold. Finally, that all important family recipe - don't tell anyone I shared it or I'll be in big trouble, but it works a treat. It came down from my dad's mum, who was a wise scottish lady and where she got it from, goodness only knows. We call it Milk Tattie Soup and it is a cure all!

Milk Tattie Soup

1 pint Chicken stock
4 large Potatoes, peeled and cubed.
2 Onions
4 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped (crushed makes for a more potent brew...)
1 pint milk
knob butter
fresh thyme, parsley
salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

If you have the odd leek about the house, finely chop that and throw it in too.

Melt butter in heavy bottomed pan and sautee garlic and onion. add chicken stock and bring to boil. Add potatoes and herbs and boil furiously, letting the stock reduce. Bring down to a simmer and add the milk, then let it cook down till the potato disintergrates into the soup. For a smooth soup, pop it in the blender, or just have it as is with chunks of fresh bread and butter. Fortifying, full of goodness, and guaranteed to send your cold off to the bahamas for a holiday (as long as you eat enough of it!!)

Thankyou for reading, Kate x

Summary: Not bad at all, but try some natural remedies first...