No, this is NOT for your minibar *yanks it back, strokes bottle*. My mother brought two bottles of this curious clear French liquid home from Hong Kong and she nor I have never heard of it until someone insisted Mom find it and bring it home. That someone is Gary Valenciano’s wife, my Ninang because she claims it’s really the best all around remedy. The wonderful thing about traditional vintage remedies is more often than not they’re brewed from the most effective natural ingredients and are therefore deemed to be more “harmonious” with the ailing body. It’s no doubt that the Chinese herald their own Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa Sore Throat Syrup, which today rakes in heaping annual sales totaling about US$45 Million dollars. From the West, the French have their own, this, a curious but potent, clear liquid by Ricqles prepared from peppermint leaves with a hard-to-remember full French title, Alcool de Menthe de Ricqles, more commonly known as Ricqles Peppermint Cure. It’s such a novelty thing that I hold and behold it the way Alice does the Drink Me bottle.
“The manufacturer is so dedicated to peppermint that they control the entire process, from growing to processing to packaging. Several drops into a teaspoon with sugar calms almost any stomach ache. It is an excellent flavoring agent in cooking. I also carry it while traveling; a few drops into a glass of tap water makes a nice ‘eau de nuit’. This has been a staple in our home for over twenty years.” - David R. Good, reviewer on Amazon.com
Ricqles is a brand established in 1838. Peppermint Cure is said to relieve a number of common bodily afflictions from topical to intestinal, and it’s even mentioned as a FLAVORING AGENT in cooking by some reviewer on Amazon, Peppermint Cure is bound to rock my boat (summons imaginary yacht), what with its cute vintage label and all. We associate the French with wine and liquor so much that by the bottle you think it’s bound to belong in the minibar. Disclaimer detour, this isn’t a full review. I’m not sick and don’t have any burns or bites plus this is mom’s unopened bottle, for now let it be a visual “TA-DA!”.
“Use as an essential antiseptic for preventing risk of infection in minor cuts, scrapes, insect bites. Also recommended as an all season remedy for everything from indigestion, bad breath, the blues, headache to cold/flu. With a natural peppermint scent that vanishes instead of turning musty, this French made product epitomizes a clean and gentle preparation.” – etamhoa.com
What to do with it ? Oh, what to do! Reviews and descriptions of online call it nearly everything short of water poured from the Holy Grail. It’s even recommended for burns, cuts, bites and for annoying but well-meaning people with bad breath (shocked face)…how big can a little product like this get? I wonder if it’ll shrink a zit. The box, by the way, certainly screams Doraemon don’t you think?
If it removes my makeup, Heavens be praised I’m sold. On Amazon this costs about US$10.00, from online Asian retailers I’ve seen this priced for as low as US$8.00. I’m guessing it would be easy to find this in traditional medicine pharmacies throughout Asia that import European products, but most probably not here in the Philippines, best bets would be Hong Kong or Singapore. This officially qualifies as a lovely addition to my upcoming Ultimate Girls’ Apocalypse Kit simply because it does so much so you can’t be without it.
