A young pharmacist named James Lofthouse had created an extremely strong liquid remedy containing menthol and eucalyptus. From the liquid he created small lozenges which were easier to transport and to administer. The fishermen soon began to refer to the lozenges as their "friends", hence the name.
The lozenges are now available in several flavours, some only in selected countries. Some flavours are sugar-free, for which the bags are striped: