What is a Cough Drop?
A cough drop is a medicated candy, also called a lozenge, designed to soothe throat irritation such as that caused by a cough or cold. Most cough drops include sugar, menthol, flavors and colors. Sugar free varieties have an artificial sweeter added and contain no sugar so that diabetics may have them. There are many popular cough drop brands in the United States including Halls®, Fisherman’s Friend®, Vicks®, Cepacol® and Ricola®. Ricola® is a Swiss brand of cough drop that includes herbal extracts with the menthol in their different flavors of cough drops. Cepacol® cough drops include the numbing analgesic, benzocaine, with menthol. The Cepacol® brand is available in a throat spray as well. Vicks® cough drops are manufactured by Procter and Gamble. These triangular-shaped drops are sold in boxes of 20 and are available in cherry or menthol flavors. According to the information on the box, Vicks® cough drops are a “cough suppressant/oral anesthetic.” The cherry flavor contains 1.7 mg o
