Weird invitations to daredevilry, such as the Ice Bucket Challenge and others, have been seen on social media before, but this one is particularly risky because it involves food

By Tej Kumar

A viral video circulating on YouTube claims that chicken cooked with Nyquil syrup has a great taste.

Weird invitations to daredevilry, such as the Ice Bucket Challenge and others, have been seen on social media before, but this one is particularly risky because it involves food.

Let’s go into detail.

First of all, it is not safe to cook any food item with syrup. Syrups are made of chemicals that can be harmful if exposed to heat or sunlight.

Second, we checked the chemical composition of Nyquil syrup. It has Acetaminophen, Doxylamine Succinate, and Dextromethorphan. And we found that the chemical Doxylamine Succinate needs to be stored at room temperature and kept away from heat.

We contacted Dr Aravind Sai Kalinga, a consultant pulmonologist based in Hyderabad, India for further clarification.

“This is a really weird and harmful challenge; nobody can ever mix the food with syrups, particularly the cough syrups as they have strong chemicals which can lead to food poisoning or any other dangerous situation,” Dr Kalinga said.

“I am sure that many people may take it as a fun challenge, but encouraging these kinds of challenges may influence some people to believe it might be true, landing them in difficult situations,” he further added.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about this challenge, stating that it is unsafe.