Buckley's

For the origin of the phrase Buckley's, see William Buckley (convict)

W.K. Buckley Limited is a Canadian corporation founded in 1920, by W.K. Buckley, that manufactures medicines for health problems such as the common cold. They also have children's medicine which under the brand Jack & Jill. The company is located in Mississauga, Ontario.

In 1978, after W.K. Buckley's death, his son Frank Buckley became the president of the company. In the mid-1980s, Frank became spokesperson promoting the "It Tastes Awful. And It Works." slogan, which became, and still is, very successful.

Novartis, the Swiss-based conglomerate with 2005 sales of $32 billion, purchased ownership of the Buckley's brand and formulas in 2002. ^[1]

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Buckley's Mixture

Buckley's Mixture is a cough syrup invented in 1919 (and still produced today) noted for its strongly unpleasant taste. Ingredients include camphor, menthol, Canada balsam (Abies balsamea), pine needle oil, and a tincture of capsicum. ^[2]. It is indicated for relief for up to six hours of coughs and sore throats.

Mode of Action

  Taken as a liquid, Buckley's contains the antitussive dextromethorphan as a hydrobromide salt as an active ingredient. This acts on the nervous system to raise the threshold for coughing, thereby alleviating symptoms. Some "Cough and Cold" remedies have been made containing pseudoephedrine as a nasal decongestant to help with the relief of cold symptoms.

Herbal components of the remedy work by counterstimulation, and perhaps by other mechanisms. Capsaicin, for instance, is known to act as an analgesic with long-term use, which could help dull the pain of a sore throat. The strong, unpleasant taste and odor may also suggest to the patient that the remedy is powerful, enhancing the placebo effect.

Potential Abuse

Many cough medications, including Buckley's, have become popular as recreational drugs in recent years. Due to the dissociative properties of dextromethorphan, high doses of cough medication can be used to produce a high. Only 200mg of dextromethorphan is needed to create a euphoric effect. The lethal dose is between 2,000 mg and 20,000 mg.

Only some of the Buckley's formulations contain dextromethorphan. The original, without DM, may be purchased.

See also

• Dextromethorphan
• Antitussive
• Cough