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Type | Ointment |
---|---|
Inventor | Lunsford Richardson |
Inception | 1905 |
Manufacturer | Vicks |
Available | Available |
Website | vicks |
Vicks VapoRub is a mentholated topical ointment, part of the Vicks brand of over-the-counter medications owned by the American consumer goods company Procter & Gamble. VapoRub is intended for use on the chest, back and throat for cough suppression or on muscles and joints for minor aches and pains. Users of VapoRub often apply it immediately before sleep.
First sold in 1905, VapoRub was originally manufactured by the family-owned company Richardson-Vicks, Inc., based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Richardson-Vicks was sold to Procter & Gamble in 1985 and is now known as Vicks. VapoRub is also manufactured and packaged in India and Mexico. In German-speaking countries (apart from Switzerland), it is sold under the name Wick VapoRub to avoid brand blundering, as "Vicks" when pronounced in German would sound similar to a vulgar word. [1] VapoRub continues to be Vicks's flagship product internationally, and the Vicks brand name is often used synonymously with the VapoRub product.
The product can be traced to Jules Bengué, a French pharmacist, who created Ben-Gay, a menthol-based treatment for arthritis, gout and neuralgia. Lunsford Richardson, a pharmacist in Selma, North Carolina, sold Ben-Gay and heard from his customers that it cleared their sinuses. Richardson formulated Vicks to cure his son’s croup. He blended menthol into petroleum jelly, at first calling it Richardson's Croup and Pneumonia Cure Salve, later changing the name to Vicks VapoRub. It was named after Richardson's brother-in-law, Joshua Vick, a physician who had arranged for Richardson to have access to a laboratory to create the product. Richardson began selling it in 1905, renaming it VapoRub in 1912. [2] In 2019, Vicks re-introduced VapoCream, a cream version of VapoRub - which was previously discontinued in the early 2000s. In the Latino community, Vicks VapoRub "inspires a curious, nostalgic devotion." [3]
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VapoRub can be inhaled with hot steam. [4] Any oil-based product can get into the lungs if used improperly. [5]
In pre-clinical animal studies, the application of Vicks VapoRub directly onto the tracheae of ferrets caused an increase in mucus production compared to a water-based lubricant. [6] [7] One of these studies suggested that because the ingredients of Vicks VapoRub can be irritants, it may also stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation in humans, leading to respiratory distress in infants and young children due to the small size of their airways. [7]
A Penn State study showed Vicks VapoRub to be more effective than placebo petroleum rub for helping cough and congestion with regard to helping children and adults sleep. [8] However, the study also showed that, unlike with the petroleum rub placebo, Vicks VapoRub was associated with burning sensations to the skin (28%), nose (14%) and eyes (16%), with 5% of study participants reporting redness and rash when using the product. [9] The study's first author is a paid consultant for Procter & Gamble, maker of VapoRub. [10]
A study conducted in 1994 suggests menthol and camphor are effective cough suppressants for guinea pigs. [11] It has been suggested that thymol oil can reduce or cure onychomycosis (nail fungus), although the same source mentions that "no human studies have been conducted to test whether thymol is a lasting and effective treatment". [12] Football players apply it on their chest to improve respiratory function. [13]
The ingredients, as listed on older product labels, are: camphor, menthol, spirits of turpentine, oil of eucalyptus, cedarwood, nutmeg, and thymol, all "in a specially balanced Vick formula".
Active ingredients:Label reads: Active Ingredients (Purpose)
Regular:
Ingredient | % | Purpose |
---|---|---|
Camphor (synthetic) | 4.8% | Cough suppressant and topical analgesic |
Eucalyptus oil | 1.2% | Cough suppressant |
Menthol | 2.6% | Cough suppressant and topical analgesic |
Lemon:
Ingredient | % | Purpose |
---|---|---|
Camphor (synthetic) | 4.7% | Cough suppressant and topical analgesic |
Eucalyptus oil | 1.2% | Cough suppressant |
Menthol | 2.6% | Cough suppressant and topical analgesic |
Inactive ingredients
Regular & Lemon:
Lemon:
In India, Vicks VapoRub is made by Procter & Gamble (P&G). The formulation is almost the same as the one stated above. P&G claims Vicks Vaporub to be an Ayurvedic medicine, [14] as indicated on the package. The ingredients (per 100 g of product) are stated as follows:
Ingredient | English | Amount |
---|---|---|
Pudinah ke phool | Menthol | 2.82 g |
Karpoor | Camphor | 5.25 g |
Ajowan ke phool | Thymol | 0.10 g |
Tarpin ka tel | Turpentine oil | 5.57 ml |
Nilgiri tel | Eucalyptol | 1.49 ml |
Jatiphal tel | Nutmeg oil | 0.54 ml |
Ointment base q.s. |
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principally used as a specialized solvent, it is also a source of material for organic syntheses.
A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages which can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex following three phases: an inhalation, a forced exhalation against a closed glottis, and a violent release of air from the lungs following opening of the glottis, usually accompanied by a distinctive sound.
Cold medicines are a group of medications taken individually or in combination as a treatment for the symptoms of the common cold and similar conditions of the upper respiratory tract. The term encompasses a broad array of drugs, including analgesics, antihistamines and decongestants, among many others. It also includes drugs which are marketed as cough suppressants or antitussives, but their effectiveness in reducing cough symptoms is unclear or minimal.
Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum, soft paraffin, or multi-hydrocarbon, CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons, originally promoted as a topical ointment for its healing properties. Vaseline has been an American brand of petroleum jelly since 1870.
Menthol is an organic compound, specifically a monoterpenoid, that occurs naturally in the oils of several plants in the mint family, such as corn mint and peppermint. It is a white or clear waxy crystalline substance that is solid at room temperature and melts slightly above. The main form of menthol occurring in nature is (−)-menthol, which is assigned the (1R,2S,5R) configuration.
W. K. Buckley Limited is a Canadian company which produces the Buckley's brand of cold medicines. It is known for its marketing that takes deprecating pride in the syrup's unpleasant taste. It also offers children's medicine, which is sold under the brand name Jack & Jill. The company is located in Mississauga, Ontario. It is a subsidiary of Novartis.
Thymol, C10H14O, is a natural monoterpenoid phenol derivative of p-Cymene, isomeric with carvacrol, found in oil of thyme, and extracted from Thymus vulgaris, ajwain, and various other plants as a white crystalline substance of a pleasant aromatic odor and strong antiseptic properties. Thymol also provides the distinctive, strong flavor of the culinary herb thyme, also produced from T. vulgaris. Thymol is only slightly soluble in water at neutral pH, but it is extremely soluble in alcohols and other organic solvents. It is also soluble in strongly alkaline aqueous solutions due to deprotonation of the phenol. Its dissociation constant (pKa) is 10.59±0.10. Thymol absorbs maximum UV radiation at 274 nm.
Vicks DayQuil is an over-the-counter combination medication product used for the temporary relief of common cold and flu symptoms. DayQuil is available in several formulations.
Guaifenesin, also known as glyceryl guaiacolate, is an expectorant medication taken by mouth and marketed as an aid to eliminate sputum from the respiratory tract. Chemically, it is an ether of guaiacol and glycerine. It may be used in combination with other medications. A 2014 study found that guaifenesin does not affect sputum volume in upper respiratory infections.
Chloraseptic is an American brand of oral analgesic that is produced by Tarrytown, New York–based Prestige Consumer Healthcare, and is used for the relief of sore throat and mouth pain. Its active ingredient is phenol, a compound whose antiseptic properties were discovered by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge.
Vicks is an American brand of over-the-counter medications owned by the American companies Procter & Gamble and Kaz Incorporated. Vicks manufactures NyQuil and its sister medication, DayQuil as well as other medications in the "Quil" line. Vicks also produces the Formula 44 brand of cough medicines, cough drops, Vicks VapoRub, and a number of inhaled breathing treatments. For much of its history, Vicks products were manufactured by the family-owned company Richardson-Vicks, Inc., based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Richardson-Vicks, Inc., was eventually sold to Procter & Gamble in 1985. Procter & Gamble divested the Vicks VapoSteam U.S. liquid inhalant business and sold it to Helen of Troy in 2015.
Olay or Olaz, previously Oil of Olay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan, or Oil of Ulay, is an American skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. For the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's revenue.
A throat lozenge is a small, typically medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs, lubricate, and soothe irritated tissues of the throat, possibly from the common cold or influenza. Cough tablets have taken the name lozenge, based on their original shape, a diamond.
Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear (acyclic) or contain rings (monocyclic and bicyclic). Modified terpenes, such as those containing oxygen functionality or missing a methyl group, are called monoterpenoids. Monoterpenes and monoterpenoids are diverse. They have relevance to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural, and food industries.
Lunsford Richardson was an American pharmacist from Selma, North Carolina, and the founder of Vick Chemical Company.
Edward Loughlin Mabry (1897–1989), was an American writer, poet, and chemical tycoon.
Vaseline is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products owned by transnational company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soaps, lotions, cleansers, and deodorants.
Chest rub or cold rub is an aromatic topical medication applied to the chest, which is intended to assist with minor medical conditions that temporarily impair breathing, such as cough and colds. Such medications are available over-the-counter in many countries. Vicks VapoRub is perhaps the most well known example.
Terpin, used as the hydrate (terpin·H2O), is an expectorant, used to loosen mucus in patients with bronchitis and related conditions. It is derived from sources such as turpentine, oregano, thyme, and eucalyptus. It was used in the United States in the late nineteenth century, but was removed from marketed medications in the 1990s after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found a lack of evidence of safety and effectiveness. Elixirs of terpin hydrate are still available with a prescription, but must be prepared by a compounding pharmacy.
ELOM-080 is the active ingredient of the herbal medicine named GeloMyrtol forte. The acronym ELOM stands for the oils from Eucalyptus, Lemon, (Sweet) Orange and Myrtle that it contains.
Do not use: by mouth, with tight bandages, in nostrils, in wounds or damaged skin