Chinese Kids Grew Up With This ‘Ancient’ Cough Remedy, Now New Yorkers are Obsessed With It

The Hong Kong-listed company’s stock closed with over a 27% increase Monday following an article that was published last week by the Wall Street Journal discussing the popularity of “Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa cough syrup.”

The Chinese cough remedy, which contains a variety of herbs, honey, and loquat extracts, reportedly dates back to the Qing dynasty [1644-1912], according to the South China Morning Post.

During that period, the remedy was concocted after an official sought a medicine to cure his mother’s chronic cough — Nin jiom means “in remembrance of my mother.”

Today, the medicine can be purchased on Amazon for $12.99 for a 300-milliliter bottle.

The product is so popular that it has accounted for 43% of Kingworld’s total sales in the first half of 2017.

Market research firm Mintel found that traditional Chinese medicine has been gaining popularity in Western countries in recent years.

From April 2012 to March 2017, about 36% of new Chinese medicine product launches were done in Europe, Mintel global food science and nutrition analyst at Michelle Teodoro wrote last year. During that period, Teodoro noted that Europe’s market share of traditional Chinese medicine products has increased by up to 93%.

Netizens took to Twitter to talk about the culturally beloved concoction:

Those of us who grew up with the medicinal mixture remember its very distinct taste, to which we’ve grown accustomed. It’s therefore amusing to hear some newcomers describe the liquid as “strong in the taste department” and “pungent”; still, they’re pretty enthusiastic about it, so bottoms up!

Cheers!

Featured Image via YouTube / Symbolic Marketing