Zinc sulphate is a form of the mineral zinc, used in agricultural, manufacturing, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. It’s also important for the growth and development of healthy body tissues. In medicine, it's used to treat a number of conditions and aid in healing.
Astringent
Zinc sulphate is sometimes included in eye drops due to its astringent properties. It can help reduce secretions in the eye, cause a slight contraction of tissue and seal off capillaries so that bacterial growth is inhibited and inflammation and swelling are reduced, notes Patient UK.
Gastrointestinal
Zinc sulphate was investigated for its potential to treat gastric ulcers in a double-blind study published in 1975 in the “Medical Journal of Australia.” The zinc was given to patients over a three-week period, and those taking the supplement had an ulcer healing rate of three times that compared to patients in the placebo group. Zinc sulphate has also been used to treat diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis in children, although the results have been mixed.
Hyperactivity
Children with hyperactivity are generally given psychostimulants to treat the disorder, although some patients don’t respond well. A 2004 clinical trial in Turkey at the Karadeniz Technical University Department of Psychiatry tested zinc sulphate as an alternative therapy and found that it was significantly superior to placebo in reducing symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and impaired socialization in patients with attention-deficit disorder, particularly in older children.
Laryngeal Papillomatosis
Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is a viral disease caused by the human papilloma virus that occurs throughout the respiratory tract from the nose to the lungs. When it occurs in the larynx, it can lead to hoarseness, shortness of breath and stridor, an abnormal, high-pitched, musical breathing sound caused by a blockage. Doctors treating pediatric patients in 2006 at the University of Baghdad College of Medicine found that oral zinc sulphate significantly improved the condition, with no recurrence found after three years.
Viral Warts
Viral warts are common but may be difficult to treat. In March 2002, the “British Journal of Dermatology” reported on a placebo-controlled clinical trial using oral zinc sulphate on patients with various types of viral warts that had been resistant to other forms of treatment. Although the placebo group showed no response, in the zinc-treated group, patients experienced a complete clearance of warts after two months of treatment, with 60 percent of patients showing a complete disappearance of their warts after one month.
Wilson's Disease
Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder characterized by a failure of the liver to excrete copper, which leads to its accumulation in the body tissues and chronic degenerative changes. Although more research is needed, preliminary studies at the University Department of Neurology, UMC-Utrecht, in the Netherlands have shown that most patients treated with zinc sulphate showed improvements in their symptoms.
References
- Patient UK: Zinc Sulphate Eye Drops
- PubMed.gov: The Healing of Gastric Ulcers by Zinc Sulphate
- Wiley Online Library: Oral Zinc Sulphate in the Treatment of Recalcitrant Viral Warts: Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
- "Annals of Saudi Medicine": Laryngeal Papillomatosis Treated by Oral Zinc Sulphate
- PubMed.gov: Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Zinc Sulfate in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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