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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 the vulgar word wichs (wank). [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. 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.
The product is a cultural touchstone among Hispanic and Latino Americans. [3]
This section needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources .(November 2019) |
This section possibly contains original research .(July 2021) |
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]
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. [7] 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. [8] The study's first author is a paid consultant for Procter & Gamble, maker of VapoRub. [9]
A study conducted in 1994 suggests menthol and camphor are effective cough suppressants for guinea pigs. [10] 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". [11]
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, [12] 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. |
Paregoric, or camphorated tincture of opium, also known as tinctura opii camphorata, is a traditional patent medicine known for its antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic properties.
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.
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.
Camphor is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel, a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapur tree, a tall timber tree from South East Asia. It also occurs in some other related trees in the laurel family, notably Ocotea usambarensis. Rosemary leaves contain 0.05 to 0.5% camphor, while camphorweed (Heterotheca) contains some 5%. A major source of camphor in Asia is camphor basil. Camphor can also be synthetically produced from oil of turpentine.
Menthol is an organic compound, more specifically a monoterpenoid, made synthetically or obtained from the oils of corn mint, peppermint, or other mints. It is a waxy, clear or white crystalline substance, which is solid at room temperature and melts slightly above.
W. K. Buckley Limited is a Canadian brand name of cold medicines that relieves mild symptoms of ailments such as the common cold, most famously taking deprecating pride in the syrup's unpleasant taste albeit highly effective with television commercials, also offering children's medicine which are sold under the brand 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.
Liniment, also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; still others are in transdermal patches, soft solid sticks, and sprays. Liniment usually is rubbed in to the skin, which the active ingredients penetrate.
Clearasil is a brand of skin care and acne medication, whose products contain chiefly benzoyl peroxide, sulfur and resorcinol, triclosan, or salicylic acid as active ingredients. Clearasil has a wide range of products both for rapid and sometimes slow acne treatment and for everyday prevention. The products are marketed to customers worldwide.
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.
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.
The Mentholatum Company, Inc. is a maker of non-prescription health care products founded in 1889 by Albert Alexander Hyde in the United States. It was bought out by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., a Japanese health care company, in 1988. The Mentholatum Company is known for its top three products, Mentholatum Ointment, Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub, and Mentholatum Lip Care. The Mentholatum Company also produces Fletcher's Laxative a product line purchased in 1984, from Sterling Drug. The Mentholatum Building in Buffalo, New York, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
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.
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Do not use: by mouth, with tight bandages, in nostrils, in wounds or damaged skin