I don't think anything can really be described as "similar" to Buckleys Original. With the possible exception of napalm.

Buckley's Mixture (Coughs & Congestion)
Effective relief of coughs and congestion due to colds, minor bronchial irritations, laryngitis, hoarseness, croupy cough and minor irritations due to smoking, dust or air pollution.
They offer a money back guarantee, They don't get much back, I suspect most people want to erase the memory of the experience.

Works good for me. First time I tried it I thought someone had swapped it out for some mixture from the chemistry lab.

I believe it was a Vick's product, containing camphor and eucilyptus, Friar's balsom was disgusting I could taste it through the sugar, we did of course really like "cod liver oil and malt"

It has ammonia in it, how can that be good for you. May as well try a swig of cats pee.

I just googled it:

Ammonium carbonate 153mg, Potassium bicarbonate 267mg, Menthol 22mg and Camphor 2.2mg

Ammonium carbonate is sal volatile, or smelling salts.

Me, I like benylin and codeine.

I've never had Galloways, but Buckleys tastes a bit similar to a god-awful mixture I was forced to take in my childhood 'bout a hundred years ago, back in Blighty. Not quite as bad, mind you. Buckley's is like swallowing paint-thinner (I imagine!) and once you realise you still have a throat and gullet, it's not burned away and you're still alive..... you stop coughing. It really does work.

Buckleys were looking at selling the stuff in the UK a few years back. Fortunately for the population of the UK, it was going to be too expensive, so they gave up.

Maybe You are - Ammonium carbonate was historically obtained by the dry distillation of nitrogenous organic matter such as hair, horn, decomposed urine,

Ok so suffering with crappy cough and cold I succumbed to the ad and just went and bought some.

I had a cigarette (mmmmmm yes what a great idea when hocking up your lungs anyway), prepared a glass of milk, went into the bathroom in case I threw up - the whole 9 yards, like preparing for an execution - and went for it - a whole teaspoon worth.

Its not that bad and it does work.

If anyone has ever smelt Albas Oil, it tastes like swallowing that (not that I ever did) but the ads make it seem far worse than it is. I even felt disappointed when my face didn't contort like those on TV.

My summary

'Buckleys - tastes bearable and really does work'

It's disgusting and to me, smells and (how I imagine it) tastes like the peroxide mixture the hairdresser bleaches your hair with!! I can't say it worked on me last year, but oh well

My OH has got pneumonia and he's been taking Buckley's along with a ton of other prescribed stuff....Buckley's does seem to be working...

Tastes bad to me but it works.....my children seem to have got use to it and have no problem, go for it.

I much prefer scotch as a cure for cold symptoms. Tastes better and it works.


There is a real nasty cough virus going around here, some people have had it for months now. Including our GP. That cant be good.