My Italian Pharmacy Shopping list

Trust a nation of hypochondriacs to have the best remedies for any ailment. Here's what to stock up on and bring back home on your next trip to my motherland.

Photo by Walter Frehner on Unsplash

This article is inspired by my now two-month-old cold (yes, still here—thanks for asking). At this point, it feels less like a winter bug and more like a toddler that just won't leave you alone. So I took the chance whilst in Italy to stock up on all my essentials, and I am not here to gatekeep.

Before we delve in, I feel like a little cultural background is needed.

Shopping at an Italian pharmacy is a wildly different experience than shopping at a London one. Specifically, a North-East London one (where I have lived for the past 13 years).

Pharmacies here have a certain charm, but they’re often a bit… well, ‘lived in.’ They tend to be over-crowded, slightly untidy, and a bit rundown. I’m not talking about Boots. I’m talking about small, independent, neighbourhood pharmacies. And while I know there are definitely some more polished pharmacies in the UK, I just haven’t encountered one yet!

Pharmacies in Italy, on the other hand? They’re a bit like shopping at Waitrose. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking in a classist sort of way. What I mean is that in Italy, the quality and presentation of pharmacies is just that high standard—much like how we don’t really have the same class-conscious shopping experiences in our Italian supermarkets. But I digress.

I am aware that French pharmacies are hailed as tourist shopping destinations in and of themselves, largely due to the quality and affordability of their skincare products. Personally, I haven’t had enough experience of French pharmacies to pass judgment, despite having been to Paris several times and once in Normandy. Mainly because, as an Italian, I always travel abroad with a pocket-sized pharmacy in tow—god forbid I find myself overseas without an Imodium.

If you didn’t already know, we Italians have a bit of a reputation for being hygiene-obsessed germophobes. I have written an article on all the amusingly endearing Italian idiosyncrasies when it comes to our health (if you fancy a read, you can click on the link below). So let me explain why Italian pharmacies are, in my opinion, on par or - dare I say it? – even superior to the French ones.

First thing first, you can find all the fancy French skincare products in an Italian pharmacy too – your LaRoche Possay, your Bioderma, Vichy, Avène, Caudalie, Nuxe etc. But our speciality, our unique selling point, if you will, is the peculiar blend between science and nature, progress and tradition. In Italy, you are just as likely to find organic and natural remedies alongside the hardcore pharmaceutical stuff. And Italians genuinely love exploring both.

We’re so into our natural remedies that Erboristerie (herb shops) are still very much a mainstream part of our culture. You’ll find one in almost every town, no matter how small. An Erboristeria is a shop that sells a variety of loose natural ingredients and remedies (the closest equivalent here might be something like Neal’s Yard Remedies?). Many of these shops are beautiful historic spaces with wooden joinery, ceramic pots, and tiny labels.

Farmacia Ai do San Marchi, Venice

Now that you’re up to speed with the context, it’ll be clearer why my list includes both chemical and natural products. And, because the list would have been endless, I’m specifically focusing on products to cure winter flus – although many of these products are year-round life-savers.

The obvious disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice! Please consult a healthcare professional before trying anything new.

1. Oki Task

My most loyal readers won’t be surprised to find this drug at the top of the list. This stuff is THE s**t. The crown jewel of all painkillers—except, plot twist—it’s not Paracetamol, it’s Ketoprofen. It’s like the Chuck Norris of pain relief, knocking out headaches, toothaches, period pain, and more in no time. I stock up every time I go to Italy, because honestly, Joe and I wouldn’t survive long without it.

2. Propolis

According to my parents, the first port of call in the event of early signs of a respiratory infection is a generous spray of Propoli in your throat, which – if you manage to aim the nozzle correctly – is a sure way to burn your tonsils as well as any bacteria with them. Propolis is a resin-like substance produced by bees to sterilize their beehives, and it is known for its natural antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. I know that technically it can be found in the UK too, but I feel like it’s much more common in Italy, where you can find it in so many variants (both containing alcohol and alcohol-free) and in so many products.

3. Aspirina C

The second step on the way to recovery according to my parents is to wash down the stinging spray of Propolis with an effervescence tablet of Aspirina C. This is to be taken, according to them, for anything ranging from a headache to a sniffly nose. Think of this as a Berocca with the addition of Aspirin.

4. Benagol

If the magic duo of Propolis + Aspirina C hasn’t been enough to block an incoming sore throat, you might want to reach out for Benagols, which (for my UK readers) are basically the Italian version of Strepsils. Like the latter, they come in different flavours – my favourite being the honey and lemon ones.

5. GrinTuss

When I went to my local London pharmacy to pick up some cough syrup, I swear to you, I was faced with only two equally sad-looking options—one for chesty coughs and one for dry coughs. Both looked and tasted like they were straight out of the Victorian era. Not so when you’re in Italy, though. Oh no. Amongst the sea of very specific syrups I’ve tried, the absolute best-tasting one is hands down this all-natural gem: GrinTuss enters the chat, everyone. This is a honey-based syrup with soothing plant extracts like thyme, helichrysum and liquorice root (hello, my favourite flavour ever!) that will leave you actually wanting more.

6. Fluimucil

Fluimucil is a popular mucolytic that will liquefy any stubborn nasal congestion. I wish that there was a more elegant way to say this, but there we have it. It’s equivalent to Carbocisteine in the UK, and a firm staple in any anti-flu diets for us Italians.

7. Olio tigre / Tiger Balm

This is a Traditional Chinese Medicine remedy that we absolutely love in Italy. You’ll find that there are many many crossovers between the Chinese and Italian cultures when it comes to healthcare (I touched upon this in my aforementioned article, 10 “old wives” tenets I still live by), and the use of Tiger Balm is definitely one of the most obvious. We use it for a variety of ailments, from colds and congestions (used like Vicks, rubbed on the chest or under the nose to clear sinuses) to muscle pain and headache. It’s one of those “nonna-approved” remedies that Italians swear by, even if they’re not entirely sure how it works—it just does!

8. Amuchina

Last but not least in my list of Italian pharmaceutical products, I could not forgo the most ubiquitous brand of disinfectants and sanitizers. Amuchina comes in various formats – from hand gels, surface wipes, laundry additives and even food-safe disinfectants.

Although you can easily find similar products in the UK (Dettol would be an equivalent I guess), I have personal, sentimental reasons for including Amuchina in my list – namely because a dear friend of mine has been using it as an affectionate pet name for me since our university years together. Because even then, and even by Italian standards, I was that obsessed with hygiene – a trait that has been instilled in me by my uber germophobe mother from an early age.

After all, it’s no coincidence I spent several hours passionately writing an article on the best pharmaceutical products.

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If you have enjoyed this article, please let me know by leaving a comment! Have you tried any of these remedies? Or maybe you’ve got your own list of must-haves? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear about your favourite go-to Italian (or international!) cures!