Camphor tablets are made from the bark of the camphor laurel, an evergreen tree that is most often found in eastern Asia and northern Africa. This herb has historically been used as an antibacterial agent and infection fighter, and is found today in many products like solvents, soaps and disinfectants. While camphor is often used to kill bacteria and fight infection, researchers today are studying it as a treatment for arthritis and even cancer. Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any supplement program to be sure that camphor treatment is right for your condition.
Skin Conditions
Camphor tablets, or camphor in its oil form, can be effective at treating skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. Treating eczema with camphor is often combined with sandalwood and water to make a paste that can be applied to the affected area of your skin, according to OrganicFacts.net.
Arthritis
The U.S. National Institutes of Health reports that camphor can help treat the pain associated with arthritis if used as a topical analgesic, but tablets are not recommended as a treatment. Camphor, one of the primary ingredients of Icy Hot cream, works on arthritis by acting as a counter-irritant similar to menthol or wintergreen by focusing your brain on the sensations associated with the camphor cream instead of the pain resulting from arthritis.
Cancer
Camphor is one of the active ingredients in a new drug being studied as a cancer treatment, according to the American Cancer Society. The drug, known at this point only as 714X, is comprised of camphor molecules that have been modified to contain an additional nitrogen atom, it says. Researchers believe that the drug may be able to increase the levels of a chemical that helps protect your cells from attacks by cancerous cells. It is important to note that no scientific data is available to support this claim, and research is "at a very early stage" as of 2010.
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