The public is accustomed to thinking of the menthol-smelling Vicks VapoRub as a tried and tested aid for colds, helping breathing and reducing other irritating symptoms. But now a peer-reviewed medical journal is saying that the balm may not be as effective as was once thought.
'Vicks VapoRub, the popular salve used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, may be harmful for infants and toddlers,' read a statement from the January issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.
New research shows that VapoRub may stimulate mucus production and inflammation, which can impair breathing in infants and toddlers.
'The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airways,' says Bruce Rubin, the study's lead author from the Department of Paediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.
'Infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of adults, so any increase in mucus or inflammation can narrow them more severely.'
Rubin and colleagues said in the statement they became interested in the effects of Vicks on small children after caring for an 18-month-old girl who developed severe respiratory distress after VapoRub was put directly under her nose.
The research team then launched an investigation to determine the effects of VapoRub on the respiratory system.