At first, I thought it quite a coincidence that I should have a press release from Fisherman’s Friend in front of me that mentioned hayfever, but then I realised that it’s probably more due to the time of year than anything else. If I looked around, I’d probably find plenty of hayfever-related news items right now, as it’s about this time of year that sufferers start to reach for the remedies.
How did I come to that conclusion? Well, I think I may have developed some form of hayfever and it’s happened recently. Proper science, that is.
A few weeks ago, I had a bit of an annoying ‘cold’. At least, that’s what I thought it was. Then, last week, I got it again. Blocked nose, puffy eyes and loads of sneezing……”Are you sure you haven’t got hayfever?” asked a friend. I hadn’t even considered that. I’m 38 years old and never had hayfever before. Anyway, off I trundled to Boots and spoke to a pharmacist who suggested I may well have and sold me a small pack of their own remedy. Within a couple of hours, I was feeling so much better that I could have willingly driven back to the shop and given her a massive kiss!
But it was a Bank Holiday and they were closed. Besides, my wife was driving and didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm.
Here’s the press release from Fisherman’s Friend:
EUCALYPTUS & MENTHOL HELP WITH THE SYMPTOMS OF HAYFEVER More than 20% of the UK population suffers through the hot summer months with hayfever. Eucalyptus oil is a natural decongestant, and is beneficial to upper respiratory congestion – possibly one of the most irritating symptoms of hayfever, whilst menthol is used to relieve minor throat irritations and is also a decongestant.
Both of these ingredients are found in Fisherman’s Friend®.
Fisherman’s Friend® lozenges have traditionally been used in the winter, but it appears that many are turning to their trusty Friends to aid them through the summer.
Fisherman’s Friend® lozenges were created in Fleetwood, Lancashire in 1865, when it was the centre of the UK fishing industry. James Lofthouse, a young pharmacist, concocted a strong liquid using menthol and eucalyptus, which helped the fishermen on their long voyages in freezing conditions.
The choppy waters made taking the liquid rather tricky, so James made them into handy lozenges. It wasn’t long before the fishermen referred to the lozenge as their ‘friends’, and hence the name Fisherman’s Friend® was created.
Today, Fisherman’s Friend® lozenges are used by tens of millions of people across the world – and not all of them are fisherman! Fisherman’s Friend® is still made in Fleetwood by the Lofthouse family.
Ends
Fisherman’s Friend Product Range:
Sugar Free Blackcurrant
Original Extra Strong
Aniseed
Sugar Free Cherry
Sugar Free Mint
Sugar Free Lemon
Tooth Friendly Original
RRP – 0.69p per 25g bag
£1.30 per 45g box
I often have a pack of Fisherman’s Friends in my carp fishing rucksack, along with a few Lemsips and paracetamol. I’ll be adding the Boots hayfever remedy to that list. It makes me sound like a bit of a hypochondriac, but I assure you I’m not. I don’t often get ill and can’t remember the last time I visited a doctor, but I do know what it’s like to spend a few nights in a bivvy when I’ve been so ill that I really should have gone home. Trouble is, the angler within you makes you stay, so I try to ensure that I can cope with most things these days.
Next time I feel hayfever symptoms coming on, I’ll reach for the Fisherman’s Friends first and see if they really do live up to the claim. Not those new-fangled flavours, though – I’ll stick with the “man’s flavour” ones for now. Got to maintain some level of machismo, see!
Elton
