Vicks VapoRub combines camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol with other ingredients to form a topical ointment, or salve. The product, now made by Procter & Gamble, has been manufactured since the 1800s, once marketed as a cure for flu, croup and pneumonia. Its maker now offers it as a cough suppressant and a topical analgesic to combat aches and pains.
History
Vicks VapoRub got its start in a pharmacy in Greensboro, N.C., where Lunsford Richardson began selling his product, originally called Vick's Croup and Pneumonia Salve, in 1894. The pharmacist once wrote, "I had seen a vision. I had dreamed dreams of a worldwide business," according to an article in the Greensboro News & Record. A flu pandemic in 1918 helped Richardson's vision come to fruition. After changing the name of the salve to VapoRub at the behest of Richardson's son, the company embarked on a promotional campaign, sending millions of samples to households across the United States in 1917. When the flu panic began a short time later, families brought the VapoRub out of their cabinets and relied on it as a hedge against illness. Demand for the salve rose exponentially, with so many orders that the company could not keep up with them. The dream had become a reality.
Features
Two of VapoRub's active ingredients, camphor and menthol, are topical pain relievers. Along with the third active ingredient, eucalyptus oil, they are also considered cough suppressants. The inactive ingredients, which help give the product its texture and consistency, include cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, petrolatum and turpentine oil. These ingredients are unlikely to produce either drowsiness or excitability, according to Procter & Gamble, which says VapoRub was the top-selling cold medication for children older than 2 in 2009.
Proper Use
The company recommends rubbing a thick layer of Vicks VapoRub on the chest and throat to help combat cough or directly on sore areas when using it as an analgesic. The ointment can be covered with a dry cloth or left uncovered. When treating a cough, any clothing should be loose enough to let the vapors make their way to the nose and mouth. The ointment may be used up to four times in 24 hours.
Considerations
VapoRub should not be taken internally, and the company also advises against putting the ointment in the nostrils. An old wives' tale, revived by email in recent years, suggests that putting VapoRub on the bottoms of children's feet will stop a nighttime cough within a few minutes. Snopes.com, which investigates email rumors, says the veracity of this claim is undetermined, but the Vicks directions for use mention nothing about the feet. VapoRub is also said to kill toenail fungus, but Snopes.com says Procter & Gamble recommends instead that patients get a doctor's advice.
Warning
You must not heat VapoRub or use it to treat children younger than 2. In January 2009, researchers at Wake Forest University released a study that says the ointment actually creates nasal congestion and inflammation. Their study was prompted by the case of an 18-month-old who was hospitalized with breathing problems after VapoRub was applied directly under her nose, a practice the company advises against. Further research was under way in 2010, said an article on the National Public Radio website. According to the March 2009 edition of "Pharmacist's Letter/Prescriber's Letter," a publication for pharmacists, menthol applied improperly can cause breathing problems, nausea, confusion and euphoria. Camphor can also poison the body, particularly when ingested. If a toddler ingests even 2 tsp. of VapoRub, the results can be fatal, according to the newsletter.
