The round tins can look like sweets, but Solid Asadaame Cool S, Asadaame Sekidome and Azulene CPC Drops are medicines with different ingredients and dosing schedules. Start with the symptoms and the full name, then choose a flavour.
I'm Irene, a Taiwan-born, Japan-licensed pharmacist working in a Japanese drugstore. For these products, the useful question is: do you need a cough/phlegm medicine, or a throat-inflammation product without a cough indication?
Current manufacturer information checked on October 13, 2026. This is an adult selection guide; read the leaflet for the exact product before use.
Three medicine branches to recognise
| Name on the Japanese shelf | Labelled use | Active-ingredient approach | Pack and flavour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Asadaame Cool S（固形浅田飴クールS） | Cough, phlegm and throat-inflammation symptoms, including hoarseness, soreness and swelling | Four herbal extracts: platycodon, ipecac, ephedra and ginseng | 50 drops; menthol flavour |
| Asadaame Sekidome Cool Orange（浅田飴せきどめ） | Cough, including cough with wheezing, phlegm and throat-inflammation symptoms | dl-Methylephedrine hydrochloride, potassium cresolsulfonate and cetylpyridinium chloride hydrate (CPC) | 36 drops; cooling orange flavour |
| Asadaame Azulene CPC Drops（浅田飴アズレンCPCドロップ） | Throat-inflammation symptoms, oral disinfection and bad-breath removal | Sodium azulenesulfonate hydrate (water-soluble azulene), dipotassium glycyrrhizinate and CPC | 36 drops; cooling grape flavour |
Azulene CPC has no labelled cough or phlegm indication. It is the distinct branch to check when comparing throat-focused options. Cool S and Sekidome both cover cough/phlegm, but herbal versus non-herbal ingredients do not establish which works better for an individual. If you are already taking a cough or cold medicine, check that first rather than adding another tin.
Within the herbal branch, Solid Asadaame Nikki S（固形浅田飴ニッキS） is the cinnamon-flavoured option with the same four active ingredients and labelled amounts as Cool S. Within Sekidome, CL Cool Lemon（浅田飴せきどめCL） has the same active ingredients, amounts and dosing as Cool Orange. These are flavour choices within their branch, not interchangeable names for Azulene CPC.
Read the full name on the tin
These official photos show each tin and the real drops, not to scale. The two loose drops pictured are not a dose demonstration; follow the specific product directions and dissolve one drop at a time.
Adult doses are different
The following directions are for ages 15 and over. A dose of two or three drops means taking them one after another, one drop at a time, not putting them all in your mouth together. These are single-dose counts; the daily frequency is shown separately.
| Product | One dose, age 15+ | Daily frequency | Spacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Cool S / Nikki S | 2–3 drops | 3 times daily | Manufacturer recommends at least 4 hours between doses |
| Sekidome Cool Orange / CL Cool Lemon | 2 drops | 6 times daily | At least 2 hours between doses |
| Azulene CPC Drops | 2 drops | 4–6 times daily | Follow the labelled daily frequency; do not keep taking extra drops between doses |
- Check the exact tin and count out that product's single dose.
- Put one drop in your mouth and let it dissolve slowly. Do not chew it or swallow it whole; water is not required.
- If the dose includes another drop, take it after the first has dissolved. Keep track of doses rather than eating from the tin like ordinary sweets.
All three branches are not for children under 5. Older children's instructions also differ: Solid uses age bands 5–7 and 8–14; Sekidome changes dose at 11; Azulene CPC gives ages 5–14 two drops per dose but only 2–3 doses daily. Do not apply the adult table or one product's child instructions to another. Use under adult supervision and ask a pharmacist if uncertain.
“Herbal” and “sugar-free” do not remove precautions
For Solid Asadaame and Sekidome, do not combine with other cough/expectorant medicines, cold medicines or sedatives. Ask before use if you are receiving treatment, are older, have a drug-allergy history or high fever, or have diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or thyroid disease: ephedra or methylephedrine can matter even in a sugar-free drop. Solid Asadaame also calls for consultation before use for a severe cough. The manufacturer advises against self-selecting these during pregnancy or breastfeeding; consult a doctor or pharmacist first.
For Azulene CPC, consult before use if you are receiving medical/dental treatment or have a drug-allergy history. Its ingredients include glycyrrhizinate and CPC; show your other medicines to a pharmacist to check for overlapping ingredients or effects. Do not assume it can be added automatically just because it is Class 3. Solid Asadaame and Sekidome are designated Class 2 medicines.
Solid Asadaame and Sekidome: stop and consult if there is no improvement after 5–6 doses. Azulene CPC: the label says 5–6 days. Stop sooner for suspected side effects. Solid Asadaame and Sekidome list rash, redness, itching, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and dizziness; Azulene CPC lists rash, redness and itching. Worsening or severe symptoms need assessment rather than another flavour or repeated self-treatment.
Close the tin securely and keep it cool, dry and out of children's reach, in its original container. Use promptly after opening and do not exceed the printed expiry. Sugar-free still does not mean unlimited consumption.
Check whether the throat sweets are medicines
Asadaame also sells quasi-drugs and food-category throat sweets. The broad phrase throat sweets (のど飴) can appear across different categories; the products in this guide are medicines. Guard Drops, ordinary sweets, sprays and gargles are outside this comparison, so do not carry these doses over to them.
My shortcut: cough/phlegm branch or throat-only indication → health and other-medicine check → exact dose → flavour. Buying both cough branches does not create a better treatment plan.
