Medicinal Sweets - Salves for the Sweet-Toothed

Recently, there's been a trend in mainland Europe as interest (and subsequent demand) for wholesale sweets with health benefits grows. This is unlike the UK market, where most consumers are unaware of the connection between eating sweets and promoting health – especially with all the scare-mongering surrounding sugar.

Sweets with health benefits, however, allow retailers to seize opportunities to gain a toehold with consumers that would otherwise turn away from sweets of any kind. So just what kind of wholesale sweets come with health benefits?

Loving Liquorice

Liquorice is a favourite among the confectionery retailers – although not all are aware that the same component that gives liquorice its unique brand of sweetness is the very same component that gives it a wide range of health benefits.

The glycyrrhizin contained within liquorice aids with sore throats, bronchitis, coughs, bacterial infections, viral infections and digestive complaints – among other benefits. Liquorice even comes highly recommended for those suffering from liver problems and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The liquorice itself, however, has to be pure and of the highest quality in order to provide the aforementioned health benefits. One particularly popular brand is Amarelli, which cultivates its liquorice from the rich soil of Calabria in Italy. The unusually high concentration of glycyrrhizin in the soil ensures that the liquorice is as sweet and healthy as naturally possible. The hard liquorice from Amarelli is purer and mellower than the soft products originating from Scandinavia.

The unique taste of liquorice means that you’ll either love it or hate it – a lot like marmite – but it’s definitely a better way of packaging medicine than a bland pill or gag-inducing syrup.

Gobbling Gummies

While traditional gummy sweets – from bears to worms – have long been a staple of wholesale sweets distributors, health-conscious consumers are becoming more interested in the gummy sweets made from propolis – or 'bee glue'.

Leone’s Gummy Sweet tins proudly advertise the fact that their gummy products contain propolis, the same component that holds bee hives together. Not only is propolis pleasant to the tongue, but it has also been touted as helping out with the symptoms of the common cold and soothing particularly sore throats. This makes it an ideal candidate for the more health-conscious consumers.

Alleviating Anise

Another particularly interesting line of healthy sweets are those containing aniseed – a useful remedy for a variety of ailments. Anise, otherwise known as aniseed or sweet cumin, has a long and interesting history. It was used as a spice by the ancient Egyptians, with Greek writings depicting its benefits for easier breathing, pain relief, easing thirst, and even helping encourage the flow of urine. The same properties that allow anise to ease the muscles also make it an ideal candidate for dealing with anxiety or sleeplessness. This makes aniseed sweets a particularly attractive choice for stressed-out consumers who need help relaxing.

Just Three of Many

There are many, many other wholesale sweets with health-improving benefits – from ginger, cinnamon, lemon sage and alpine herbs, just to name a few. Perhaps before too long the UK will join the rest of Europe in turning towards more healthy sweets.