This article was taken from the May 2012 issue of Wired
magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before
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Unblock your nose with a mix of firework fuel and basketry
Each month wired's chemist Dr John Emsley
deconstructs an everyday product. He is the author of 110 research
papers and ten books, including his most recent: Nature's
Building Blocks, 2nd edition (OUP)
A natural sweetener found in apples, peaches and prunes, it is
known to act as a laxative. Mixed with potassium nitrate, sorbitol
can be used as a rocket fuel for homemade fireworks.
The active ingredient in these lozenges, menthol has a cooling
effect because it can trigger the cold-sensitive receptors when it
contacts the skin, the nose or the throat.
An artificial sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar. When blended
with other artificial sweeteners, it in turn reinforces their
sweetness, so less is needed.
Used as a basketry dye, the fruit and stems give a black colour.
Here, it makes the lozenges purple. Elderberries are also claimed
to stimulate the immune system.
Derived from myrtillin, a salt-like anthocyanin. The flavour's
popularity in the UK may be due to the free blackcurrant cordial
given to children during WWII.
This helps the tablet to disintegrate when it is moistened by
saliva. Magnesium stearate also keeps the tablets from sticking to
the machinery used in their manufacture.