Tired of the tickle in my throat!
Today, I napped on the sofa for hours with Casper, my "therapeutic kitty". I've been battling a cold, so I needed the rest. I feel much better this evening, but I have a persistent tickle in my throat. If I could talk to my tickle, I'd emphatically say, "Leave now, and never come back!", as Smeagol said when he exorcised Gollum.
Fisherman's Friend helps my cough as much as anything I've found, and it doesn't interfere with my blood pressure medicine (an unsolicited endorsement). The flavor certainly lives up to the product's "Extra Strong" slogan. I would never mistake the F.F. lozenges for candy!Fisherman's Friend reminds me a little of Parke-Davis Medicated Throat Discs, also marketed as Parke-Davis Throat Lozenges. Does anyone else remember them? They were quite effective for sore throats and coughs.
Parke-Davis Throat Discs came in a small, flat box that slid open. The dime-size lozenges were neatly arranged in stacks of three. There were 90 lozenges in a box, as I recall. A new box was wrapped in plastic, and inside, it had a little sheet of paper over the lozenges to keep them exactly in place. As soon as the first lozenge was removed, the remaining lozenges could slide around, and the perfect order inside the box was lost.
Like the Parke-Davis Throat Discs, Fisherman's Friend contains capsicum (pepper extract) and licorice. The flavor is somewhat similar, but Fisherman's Friend doesn't have the zing of chloroform that the P. D. throat discs had. Yes, chloroform! Because of the chloroform, the P.D. box carried a caution about the number of throat discs that could be consumed within a given period of time.
Chloroform in over-the-counter medicines was outlawed in the mid-1970s, and that was apparently the end of the Parke-Davis Throat Lozenges. I haven't seen them in many years, and I didn't find very much information about them on the internet. Only older people would remember them now. I guess that classifies me!
Interesting related link: Weed, Booze, Cocaine and Other Old School "Medicine" Ads
29 comments:
I loved those Parke-Davis ones when I was a kid--but don't want to cop to being an "older people". I've missed them over the last 20+years and have looked for them--good to know Fisherman's Friend can fill the void. Hope you feel better!
I never knew that Fisherman's Friend has capsicum -- I thought it was menthol only. I'll have to try them again.
Beth, I'm feeling almost normal again. I just would like to get rid of the cough. Thanks for your good wishes.
Michael, menthol is the active ingredient, but the lozenges also contain "Capsicum, dextrin, eucalyptus oil, natural licorice, sugar, and tragacanth" (from the box).
Since I didn't know the purpose of all these ingredients, I looked them up. Dextrin and tragacanth are binders. Tragacanth is a gum derived from the sap of a certain family of thorny Mideastern shrubs that belong to the legume family. Tragacanth is used in paints and glues, as well as for pills and such. It also has a folk medicine history of use for coughs and sore throats. Licorice and eucalyptus oil are also traditional balms for sore throats.
The Epinions for Fisherman's Friend are interesting. The strong flavor is frequently mentioned.
My son and his family live in Paderborn, Germany. One Christmas they sent a grab-bag package of sweets and other small items uncommon in the US. A box of Fisherman's Friend lozenges, a product I'd never heard of, was included. They are strong! I didn't realize that capsicum was among the ingredients. Along with licorice and menthol? A potent combination indeed.
I took them as a young woman since my mother used them constantly. Strange, unique flavor, and helped immensely. I did not know they were no longer making them until I read this artice; I always look for them. Guess I can stop looking now, so thank you.
Hi, I use the Throat Discs that you talked about. I don't seem to notice that the formula has changed. They are not by Parke Davis anymore. I can get them locally, but they are much cheaper online. They are simply called Throat Discs Throat Lozenges. They have 70 in the box and it says original formula. They have capsicum and they taste the same.
Just thought I would let you know if you are still interested in them.
I love the Fisherman's Friend ones also, but they are very hard to find where I live. I have seen Fishermans brand, but not the licorice ones for a very long time.
Have a really nice week. Ann
I remember these lozenges and their distinctive taste. For some reason I was thinking about them a few weeks ago and struggled with remembering the type of box they came in. I was proud of myself when I finally did. Good to know I can still get them.
I went to my local Bi-Mart store
here in La Pine, Oregon looking for the Park Davis Medicated throat lozenges that I used to buy whenever I had a cold or sore throat. I couldn't find them in the cold medicine section so they sent a lady to help me. She had never heard of them and of course they were unavailable. But they did have Fisherman's Friend. I had used these in the past and knew that they closely resembled the small flat discs I was looking for. Yes, I guess age does come into play here. I am 78 years of age and the Park Davis Medicated throat lozengers go back a long way in time.
Big Jim
I don't know if you remember these, but back in the '50s there was a brand of cough lozenges named "Frog in Your Throat." These were pale green and tasted a little bit minty and a little bit licorice-y.
Used to live in Hoptown long ago and enjoy your blog very much.
Thanks for letting me know the contents of the Park Davis disc. I tried them once as a teen and my tongue got so large, that I thought I was going to die. I not sure which ingredient caused the allergic reaction.
Anna
Was online looking for the Park Davis discs I used long ago to relieve my frequent episodes with dry throat coughing. The problem went away for many years but has returned and I immediately thought of the wonderful discs that helped so much. I'm sooooooo sorry to her they are no longer available. Will check out the ones Ann recommended.
I remember the Parke-Davis lozenges being about the thickness of a penny. The ones that Ann mentioned seem to be quite a bit thicker. So, I am not sure whether or not they are the same.
Too bad the replacement throat lozenges available at Amazon cost so much. They look similar to the Parke Davis package, but for the prices, they can keep them. The Fisherman's Friend I found recently at Walgreens, a local/regional drug store. Almost as good, but not quite...
I remember throat discs containing belladonna, listed as an ingredient. Anyone else ?
They've been gone for 40 years. I remember getting po'd when they went up to 35 cents.
They were discontinued because they contained chloroform. Seriously. Right on the back of the box. Boy did they work though!
I used Park-Davis throat disks too many years ago. I sang then. One ingredient then was belladonna. It too was removed from the formula.
Where I live Fisherman's Friend are available but I don't like them.
good info re Park Davis 'addictive' lozenges at
anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.org/article.aspx?articleid=1936529
I LOVED Them. My Uncle, now 91, only let me have one at a time. I've investigated a cocaine link but there is none. Wish I could have 1 right now!
Mur
I remember the PD lozenges as a kid, and I've been looking for them! I bought FF lozenges thinking they're be similar. Not similar enough, I'm afraid. Pure menthol, no licorice.
But you can get them from Europe......their laws and regulations are quite different than USA
I want some. If I have to get them from Europe, I don't care. I was in Radio in the '70s and the Parke Davis discs with Chloroform were the ONLY thing that worked. When I tried in the '80s to get them, they didn't work any more. Fisherman's Friend were close, but not the same. There is a company that advertises the "Original Formula" on Amazon, but I read the label. No Chloroform. Not the same. I will look in Europe if I must. Wish I had known the formula was going to change, I would have bought a gross of boxes and saved them.
I LOVED PARKE DAVIS THROAT LOZENGES. MY GRANDFATHER USED THEM FOR YEARS AND I WAS TRYING TO FIND THEM. I GUESS PARKE DAVIS WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. I WISH NOT BUT THAT IS THE WAY IT IS.
Hi, I saw them posted on Amazon. The Parke Davis lozengers.
Parke Davis discs were the only thing that gave me any relief when I was kid. I just read an article that said in 1976 the government banned items with chloroform.
They sell them now under the name brand Soothe Throat Discs, Throat Lozenges. I just bought a bag off of Amazon. They did cost me almost $9 for 46 lozenges. They're not flat and the size of nickels anymore they're smaller and circumference and thicker but they taste the same, sadly no chloroform anymore lol.
My Mother got these for me and my lovely sinus & allergy issues. I just remember that they worked to soothe my throat. Nothing helped the allergy cough but honey & whiskey. I am thinking that I used them from the mid to late '60's until mid '70's...my Hubby who is new to the allergy & sinus scene has been looking for something to soothe his throat. That is how I ended up here...looking for them...LOL
i googled the little gummy dark green tablets my grandma used to have they were eucalyptus for sore throats. i been trying to see what they were called or who made them. i just remember she always kept them in a large glass mason jar in her cupboard. any idea what those were id appreciate it. thanks.
The active ingredient was a tiny bit of chloroform. It literally put the tickle in your throat to sleep. Shame it was taken off the market. Sure, chloroform is a liver toxin, but the tiny amount in the Parke-Davis throat disks never hurt anyone. If the FDA wants to get something discontinued, they should go after sugar. Our habit of consuming so much sugar leads directly to metabolic disorder, type-2 diabetes and heart disease. It's the real killer.
Yes I remember Parke Davis my mom swore by them! When they took them off the market my mom cried for weeks like she lost her best friend. She’s been gone for many years now but I don’t think she would be satisfied with fisherman’s friend but I bought them for the first time today and they are working .
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