Last week, my kid and I were coughing, coughing and coughing and gagging on a lot of phlegm that I swear it felt almost as bad as the croup he got last year.
Since I can’t take ANY cough medicine now, I resorted to the good old Nim Jiom Pei Pa Koa, which a trusted paediatrician from Beijing had recommended to me when I had a nasty cough before coming home.
Guess what happened? I got better faster on just Nim Jiom Pei Pa Koa compared to my boy who was taking Rhinathiol (Promethazine)!
Because he was running a fever a few days, he had to take paracetamol (which he HATES) that he found Rhinathiol more pleasant. However, after a few days of Rhinathiol, he started to reject the “sweet orange medicine”.
When he saw me taking the Nim Jiom Pei Pa Koa, he asked for the “black medicine”. True enough, his phlegm subsided and soon, he was coughing less and less!
Now that more and more people are infected by flu or cough, I’ve been recommending this sweet and pleasant-tasting loquat syrup that claims to:
“Eliminate phlegm, relieve coughs and soothe sore throats.”
Even my Mum was impressed that she’s taking it and asked my sister to buy it for her husband and kids who are also coughing now. Although you can mix it as a drink, the kid and I prefer to just take the required dose (1 tsp for me, 1/3 tsp for him) three times a day.
Try it if you like – just make sure you get your bottle from an established Chinese medicine hall. Nim Jiom Pei Pa Koa is made in Hong Kong and now comes in a sugar-free version!
Notes from Wikipedia:
1. A study at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine published in a 1994 article, “Pharmacological studies of nin jion pei pa koa”, indicated that Pei Pa Koa had significant effect on relieving coughs, removing sputum, relieving asthma in vivo (on living subjects) and in vitro (in a lab).
2. At one point in 2006, Pei Pa Koa was recalled in the Philippines as the Bureau of Food and Drugs found Formalin (a chemical used for preserving cadavers) in all Pei Pa Koa products in the market. However, a few months after the recall, Pei Pa Koa was released back into the market as Formalin traces were no longer found in the new Pei Pa Koa product line.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Did you know that there are imitation ones around? Here’s how to tell if your pei pah koh is real or a fake.
http://www.pharmacy.gov.my/html/publications/counterfeit_drugs/counterfeit_drugs.htm
Yup, I find this Nim Jiom Pei Pa Koa more effective compared to western meds sometimes… fed my kids this too; they love it!
thanks for the tips – i got it at home but never used it and also never thot of using it on rye li. will do it when she gets a cough.
MG – Thanks for the link! Really useful
BoeyJoey – You too, eh?
Syn – It’s particularly soothing for sore throats…
I just bought one BIG bottle this morning!
I liked it when it is refrigerated. Tastes quite nice.
hehehe
Yeah, I like the cool feeling too but have to abstain from that now that I’m preggy. Hope you get well soon!
$5 a bottle at the supermarket. I love living in HK and I love Pei Pa Koa
I can finish up one full bottle a day..haha
A great fan of Nim Jiom!