Buckley's

Buckley's is a Canadian brand of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, most famous for its flagship product, Buckley's Original Mixture. Originally formulated in 1919 by pharmacist William Knapp Buckley, the mixture is renowned for its strongly unpleasant taste, which became the centerpiece of its iconic marketing campaign: 'It tastes awful. And it works.' The active ingredients in the classic mixture include ammonium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, menthol, and camphor. These components act synergistically to relieve coughs, soothe sore throats, and clear nasal and sinus congestion. Menthol and camphor act on transient receptor potential (TRP) channels (such as TRPM8, TRPV1, and TRPV3) to provide a cooling sensation and local anesthetic effect, while ammonium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate function as expectorants to help loosen phlegm and thin bronchial secretions. The brand is currently owned and marketed by Haleon, following its spin-off from GSK.

Brand names

Buckley's Chest CongestionBuckley's Cold & SinusBuckley's CompleteBuckley's Complete Plus Extra Strength Mucus ReliefBuckley's Cough & CongestionBuckley's Cough and Mucus Relief Extra StrengthBuckley's Dry CoughBuckley's Jack & JillBuckley's Mucus & PhlegmBuckley's Nighttime Complete Extra StrengthBuckley's Original MixtureBuckley's White Rub

Other names

Buckley's Cough MixtureBuckley's Cough SyrupBuckley's Mixture