Not the most exciting of snoops but hopefully helpful and a practible useful guide, based on experience (not marketing) all the same. This is not an advertorial just simple information based on personal experience as a consumer who in the most part doesn't support big pharma and tries to avoid pills and the doctor at all costs. And it's not just me saying it. We have 6 people who have all tried the various remedies and have all come to the same conclusion.

For anyone who suffers from a can’t breathe cold or flu attack as soon as the weather changes there is one over the counter medicine that is head and shoulders above all others for relieving congestion I have found and I’ve tried them all from Lemsip developed in Hull, in 1968, Lemsip is a British brand by Reckitt, a UK-based consumer goods company, to a good old fashioned hot toddie or makuna honey, lemon and hot water.

Beechams, also a British brand began in the 19th century by Thomas Beecham. the brand has changed hands a few times since then, it 2022 the owner GSK, GlaxoSmithKline spun off it's whole consumer heathcare portfolio in to a new company Haleon, the present owners of the Beecham brand. The congestion relief ingredient in most Beechams cold and flu medicines (such as Beechams All-in-One and Beechams Flu Plus) is phenylephrine hydrochloride. This ingredient acts as a decongestant, helping to unblock the nose and sinuses so you can breathe more easily.

I’ve long preferred to buy Beechams Flu Plus, identified for me by the orange coloured capsules on the traditionally blue packaging, except they are becoming increasingly difficult to find on the regular easily accessible supermarket shelves. 

The reason I opted for Beechams All in One for this family flu bout when the whole household went down this time. They are advertised as containing the same vital decongestant ingredient, Phenylephrine hydrochloride but did they work in the same way as the magic Beechams Flu Plus, the answer is a resounding no and not just from one person but everyone in the family.

What actually works to relieve cold a flu symptoms? 

When it comes to big pharmaceutical business everyone wants a piece of the cold and flu viral business so there are lots of impulse purchases made when the symptoms of the common cold make us feel so rough we reach for the nearest box of cold and flu remedy.

Don’t be tempted to buy the blue and green capsules, all in one max strength, at over 6 pounds I bought in to the “max strength” marketing tag and they didn’t do anything magnificent.

I am now planning ahead, something I have never done before, I am ordering a few boxes of Beechams Flu Plus capsules in, remember the orange capsules, they are not stocked everywhere, I couldn’t find them at any of my 4 or 5 local supermarkets or pharmacies so the next time a bug strikes and we all go down, those sleepless nights when you cannot breathe at least will be alleviated.