Vigroids (formerly Nigroids) was the brand name of a
liquorice sweet. The small black pellets were particularly marketed as an
expectorant lozenge for singers, using the slogan "for clarity of voice". The product was manufactured by Ernest Jackson & Company Ltd of
Crediton
Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter and around from the M5 motorway ...
in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, a subsidiary of
Kraft Foods
The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015.
A merger with Heinz, arra ...
.
The principal ingredient of Vigroids is
liquorice
Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted.
The liqu ...
block juice. The company warns that liquorice can raise blood pressure, and that those with a history of
hypertension
Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
should not take too many. They suggest limiting consumption to 10 per day. No sugar is used. Small quantities of other flavourings such as
menthol
Menthol is an organic compound, more specifically a monoterpenoid, made synthetically or obtained from the oils of corn mint, peppermint, or other mints. It is a waxy, clear or white crystalline substance, which is solid at room temperature and ...
,
eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
and
peppermint
Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantbas ...
are added to help the pellets act as a
breath mint
A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach given their association with natural byproducts ...
.
History
Nigroids were invented by Ferris & Co. Ltd., manufacturing chemists of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, in 1900. The company promoted them with the slogan:
:'' For Hoarseness, "Tickling of the Throat," etc. They afford protection to the Voice, Throat, and Chest, against ill-effects of fog, cold and damp. Invaluable to singers and speakers.''
[Source: Manufacturer's packaging, n.d.]
Ernest Jackson acquired the brand in 1974. In November 2010 the name was changed from "Nigroids" to "Vigroids".
As of 2016 the product appears to have been withdrawn, with no retailers listed as stocking it. The product no longer features as a brand on the Ernest Jackson website.
See also
*
List of breath mints
This is a list of breath mint brands in alphabetical order. A breath mint is a type of candy primarily consumed to freshen the smell of one's breath, by masking offensive odors with the scent of mint or other flavoring, and by stimulating the flo ...
*
Victory V
Victory V is a British brand of liquorice-flavoured cough medicine, lozenges. Originally manufactured in Nelson, Lancashire, Nelson, Lancashire, they were devised by Thomas Fryer and Edward Smith MD in 1864 and were initially made by hand to en ...
*
Fisherman's Friend
Fisherman's Friend is a brand of strong menthol lozenges manufactured by the Lofthouse company in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England.
History
Fisherman's Friend was originally developed by pharmacist James Lofthouse in 1865 to relieve various ...
*
Apteekin Salmiakki
Apteekin Salmiakki (trademarked in English as Apothecary's Salmiac) is a lozenge-shaped hard candy brand of salmiakki, or salty liquorice candy, made by the Finnish company Haganol. " Salmiac" is a term for ammonium chloride, one of the princi ...
References
External links
Archived Vigroids page for manufacturer
Brand name confectionery
Breath mints
Throat lozenges
Kraft Foods brands
British confectionery
British brands
Cadbury
Liquorice (confectionery)
{{confectionery-stub