Singapore-based drinks manufacturer F&N has rejected claims shared online that a popular carbonated beverage it makes can be boiled and consumed to treat coughs. Healthcare professionals said any relief from the home remedy might be due to the placebo effect or the syrup coating the throat, and urged people with persistent coughs to seek proper medical assistance.
"SARSI CAN GET RID OF COUGH. Since then, whenever I cough, I don't bother buying cough syrup anymore. I just grab some sarsi, boil it for a bit, let it cool down… then drink it.," reads part of a Malay-language Facebook post on January 22, 2026.
Similar posts claiming the remedy can help relieve coughing have circulated since 2023 and resurfaced in 2025 on Instagram as well as on TikTok and Threads.
But F&N Sarsi is only intended for use as a refreshment in its original form and is not formulated, marketed or indicated for the treatment or relief of cough or any other medical conditions, said a representative from the Malaysian arm of F&N Holdings Bhd (archived link).
"F&N Holdings Bhd does not endorse or support the use of F&N Sarsi for any medical or therapeutic purposes," the communications representative told AFP on December 18, 2025.
Health experts told AFP the drink does not have any medicinal properties.
Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, a public health expert at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia told AFP via WhatsApp on January 27: "I don't think it contains any medicinal properties, or...
Singapore-based drinks manufacturer F&N has rejected claims shared online that a popular carbonated beverage it makes can be boiled and consumed to treat coughs. Healthcare professionals said a...