Who Invented the Cough Drop?

When you're suffering through the foggy-headed, sore-throated misery of a cold, the origin of the cough drop in your mouth is probably the last thing on your mind. Though cough drops have evolved into a popular item on the cold and flu market, they weren't always so ubiquitous; these medicated lozenges initially developed from candy, first hitting the mass-production lines in the mid 1800s.

Early History

• The concept of alleviating a cough with herbs and extracts is nothing new. For millennia, people have used natural substances---such as goat's milk---to remedy coughs and sore throats, and the Roman physician Galen first used cough suppressants to treat patients in the second century. Because sugar was a rare and expensive commodity throughout much of history, cough remedies didn't take the form of candy until the 19th century, when sugar had become widely available and sugar-based lozenges were cheap enough for mass production.

First Cough Drops

• Although no single person holds the title of "cough drop inventor," William and Andrew Smith---known as the Smith Brothers---pioneered the cough drop industry in the mid-19th century, producing and packaging the first widespread cough drop brand. After the Smith Brothers' father learned of a special cough candy formula, the family began producing homemade cough drops and selling them locally in New York's Hudson Valley. The cough drops quickly gathered a base of consumers, and in 1852, the Smiths began advertising their cough candy in the local newspaper, leading to burgeoning popularity of the product. After their father passed away, the Smith Brothers inherited the business, and they launched the first factory-produced line of cough drops in 1872.

Menthol Cough Drops

• In the late 1800s, confectioner William H. Luden developed the first menthol-containing cough drop. Working from his mother's kitchen in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Luden combined menthol---a popular remedy to treat colds---with candy lozenges, creating a product that was more pleasant than the vials of straight menthol many cold sufferers used. In 1881, Luden launched his first line of menthol cough drops in a "honey-licorice" flavor. To distinguish them from other manufacturers' cough drops, which were typically dyed red, he colored his menthol cough drops orange.

Herbal Cough Drops

• For soothing sore throats and calming coughs, herbal cough drops are popular products. In the late 1920s, Swiss baker Emil Richterich began developing the first herb-based cough lozenge. After spending years tweaking and revising his initial recipe, he launched a "Swiss Herb Candy" cough drop in 1940. The product contained herbs such as peppermint, thyme, sage, horehound, burnet and yarrow---a combination that, years later, clinical trials proved effective in treating throat irritations. In the 1950s, Richterich established his first factory to meet production demand, and a decade later changed his company name to Ricola.

Variations

• Although standard menthol and herbal cough drops are still widely available, the cough drop industry continues to evolve. Diverse flavors and sugar-free varieties have saturated the market, and some manufacturers produce immunity-boosting cough drops infused with vitamin C or zinc. As science makes advancements in the field of cold and flu treatment, future cough drops are likely to feature ingredients that not only soothe painful throats and ease coughs, but also help the body fight pathogens.