Lozenges or Nodoame

Japanese cough drops are called nodoame, literally meaning throat candy. About half of the nodoame are just that, hard candy in a variety of flavors, but that you would hardly consider when actually suffering from a cough. Flavors like cafe latte or royal milk tea sound yummy, but not soothing to the throat.

The other end of the spectrum is full on herbal. In addition to tons of citrus flavors loaded with vitamin C, there are mentholated types. Some lozenges are loaded with ten or more herbs beneficial to the lungs and throat. As I can expect back home as well, all the flavors tend to be really sweet, although there are sugar free types too.

As a teacher, especially if I teach in a classroom (as opposed to one on one or small classes), I tend to get sore throats too often. I always keep at least one lozenge with me in my pencil case while I'm off teaching lessons.

I quickly discovered my favorite type is anything with eucalyptus in it. I once got some eucalyptus candy from Australia and love that stuff. I tend to go for this brand pictured above (I think it's read Mikakutou). It includes eucalyptus, Japanese elder, salvia, licorice, peppermint, thyme, and anise.

I couldn't find the Mikakutou the other day, so I went with the only other herbal type of lozenge I could find, Herb and Milk, instead. I don't really understand why fresh cream would be beneficial for anything other than the taste.

As a kid we always had these black licorice flavored lozenges for some reason, but they worked really well. Licorice root is really beneficial for your respiritory system as well as your adrenal system. Important if your immune system is weak from overwork and stress.

I like to get lozenges with propolis when possible too. If I'm feeling a little low energy, Daiso has a propolis and royal honey supplement that helps a lot. Propolis is derived from honeybees and is antibiotic as well as anti-viral. For some reason it is not sold in the US, so I always brought some supplements back when I went overseas while living there.

Of course getting a huge dose of vitamin C (lemon or grapefruit flavored) is always welcome when my throat is sore, and karin (Asian quince) and lemon is nice as well. The ginger flavored cough drops are so nice during the dry winter season, if you like the taste.

Lozenges are sold in bags of individually wrapped or unwrapped pieces; or individually wrapped in smaller boxes. They can be found in any convenience store, drug store, or 100 yen shop in Japan.

What kind do you usually go for?