I have to also say Buckley's. Just putrid and unpleasant in all regards.

Hot milk + garlic + honey. Ewwww.

NameGoo - thanks for the chance +1 :)

Buttercup cough syrup - kristy likes it, but i don't yuk

(You probably not be able get it in Canada though sorry)

I don't actually think I've ever had cough syrup. I think my parents were always the "have some tea and suck on this Ricola" types. I think we had some of that pink shit, but that's not a cough remedy, right? That's upset stomachs.

the likely name of the chinese med is "Pei Pa Koa".
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alcohol is the #1 ingredient in those cough medicines,
just like caffeine for headache medicines.
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the recipe i found makes a vat of the stuff, but if you use the ratio and hit it with some heat on the stove to melt everything it should work out the same. stir the whole process.
this seems like it might be worth a try:

Peppermint Whiskey Cough Medicine
1x water
2x peppermint (candy volume)[maybe some pep schnapps to save your melt time]
[melt, then add]
1x lemon juice
2x Crown Royal or Maker's Mark [or sub in some Jägermeister if you prefer ^_^]
4x honey

adults - 1 or 2 tablespoons of the syrup every three or four hours as needed.
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use some store brand Whiskey that costs under $5 if you want to increase the nasty taste function, it might be right next to the rubbing alcohol.

I don't take any cough medicine, but I've heard horror stories about bizarre concoctions containing raw egg yolk. *shudders*

Lol, what a funny giveaway. Get well soon! No experience with cough medicine unfortunately, so no gross tips from me ;).

I'd have to say Robitussin, I can't remember ever taking anything else. Hmm, maybe i should find a new brand haha.

Thanks for the giveaway!

First thing that crossed mine mind was home remedy made of onion. But it seems like people already beat me to it. Never mind though, here's a "recipe" for hard core version of it. For manly man only,

Step 1: Take three medium sized onions.
Step 2: Wash them thoroughly and do not peel them (most important step)
Step 3: Cut them in quarters and boil them in 1 liter of water until 1/3 of water evaporates
Step 4: Throw away the onions and drink remaining water in sips during entire day

There is some girly version of it, where you would sweeten it with honey. But if you wanted to be girly pants you would ask for something made of dandelion, honey, lemons, oranges, ginger root, sugar and other similar stuff.

hmm, Onion tea with honey (or sugar)... cook until tick enough...

Maybe beet tea (but that's require some kind of ritual... ;p)


also, Pennyroyal Tea... ;p

Hope you get better soon!...

Flegamina.
Might not have been mint-flavored back then, vaguely remember it being dreadful.

My grandma used to force me to eat squeezed out onion juice. I still remember the taste...

I only remember the good one, Quilla Simplex, and they seem to have removed/changed all the really foul-tasting ones, so there is no way for me to check what they used to be named :(

But I can tell you this: You don't want to taste the pills that are supposed to do something about the cough reflex (I had to take some pretty strong ones once, and as they were not coated, they just got stuck in my mouth and tastes horribly)

castor oil, nastiest tasting stuff ever, not even sure it's real medicine but used to be given it as a child for a cough