Can Vicks VapoRub on Your Feet Help a Cough? (2024)

There is no scientific proof that putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet will help ease a cough and other cold symptoms. However, there is some evidence that putting Vicks on your feet with socks can improve cracked heels, ease foot pain, and treat toenail fungus.

As attractive and affordable as these off-label uses may seem, Vicks VapoRub is really intended for use in easing coughs from colds in adults and children over 2. It may also help ease mild muscle or joint pain.

This article explains why putting Vicks VapoRub on the feet is not an effective way of treating colds. It also describes some of the possible benefits of Vicks VapoRub on your feet and how to use it safely in children and adults.

How Vicks VapoRub Works

Vicks VapoRub is an over-the-counter (OTC) topical ointment made of camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol. It can be considered to be a form of aromatherapy in which scented compounds are thought to offer health benefits when inhaled. It also has some pain-relieving effects.

According to drug information issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Vicks VapoRub is intended for the following uses:

• Temporarily relieving cough from the common cold when applied to the chest or throat
• Temporarily relieving minor aches and pains when applied to muscles and joints

Although Vick VapoRub is not formally approved for the treatment of any condition, the NIH describes its active ingredients—camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol—as cough suppressants. These agents work by numbing the respiratory reflex which leads to throat irritation and coughing.

The NIH also describes camphor and menthol as mild topical analgesics (pain relievers). These work by activating and then desensitizing pain receptors in the skin called epidermal nociceptors. (This is why you get a cooling sensation followed by a numbing sensation when rubbing Vicks VapoRub onto the skin.)

The benefits are evidenced by a 2014 study in Rehabilitation Research and Practice in which topical menthol was reported to reduce chronic pain from carpal tunnel syndrome by an average of 20% in slaughterhouse workers.

Even so, a 2017 study in the Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases found that the cooling effects of Vicks VapoRub improved sleep in people with severe cold symptoms.

Why Vicks on Your Feet Doesn't Help

There is a popular theory that Vicks VapoRub can ease a cough by stimulating the nerves in your feet. Much of the belief is founded on principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and an alternative practice known as reflexology in which the stimulation of parts of the foot is thought to offer health benefits.

According to the theory, Vicks VapoRub stimulates nerves in the feet that are then transmitted to the medulla oblongata in the brain. The medulla oblongata is the part of your brain that regulates coughs.

To date, there is no evidence that the stimulation of the foot has any effect on the cough reflex, either directly or indirectly. Even so, many people swear that rubbing their feet with Vicks and covering them with socks with lessen the severity and duration of the common cold.

Where Vicks VapoRub On the Feet May Help

Vicks VapoRub has other popular off-label uses, some of which have actual benefits based on a limited body of research. Some studies suggest that Vicks VapoRubis may be useful in relieving neuropathic (nerve-related) pain, treating toenail fungus, and softening callouses.

Topical Pain Relief

Camphor and menthol are topical analgesics that may help ease peripheral neuropathy. This is nerve pain in the feet and hands that causes "pins and needles" or burning sensations.

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by medications, diabetes, and other conditions that damage the insulating coating of nerves (called the myelin sheath).

There is some evidence that camphor and menthol have similar pain-relieving properties to capsaicin (the compound in chili peppers that give them their heat). Like capsaicin, camphor and menthol inhibit a cellular receptor called TRPA1 that translates heat, cold, and pressure on the skin into neuropathic pain.

A 2017 study in the Indian Journal of Palliative Care found topical menthol was able to provide modest relief in people with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Treat Toenail Fungus

The camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus in Vicks VapoRub have antifungal properties that may be useful for treating toenail fungus (onychomycosis).

In a small study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, Vicks VaporRub helped to ease onychomycosis symptoms in 83% of study participants. More than one-quarter experienced complete clearance after 48 weeks of Vicks VapoRub applied daily.

A 2016 study in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care similarly reported that Vicks VapoRub was effective and safe in treating toenail fungus in people with HIV who are especially vulnerable to onychomycosis.

Smooth Cracked Heels

Some people use Vicks VapoRub on their feet for cracked heels. This is due to the fact that Vicks has a base of petroleum jelly. The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends petroleum jelly for softening calluses on your feet and heels.

Petroleum jelly also has excellent occlusive properties (meaning the ability to lock in skin moisture). This can be extremely useful for people with foot xerosis (skin dryness) which is the major cause of cracked heels, particularly in winter.

Precautions

Vicks VapoRub has been used for generations as part of an armament of tools used to treat colds. While this may make it seem like Vicks VapoRub has minimal risks, there are some potentially serious concerns you should take note of:

• Vicks VapoRub contains poisonous ingredients: Camphor is an especially toxic substance that can cause kidney failure, seizures, coma, or death when swallowed. Keep out of the reach of children and pets who are at greatest risk.
• Vicks VapoRub is not for small children: It should never be used on children under 2 years of age. This is because there is a greater risk of poisoning from hand-to-mouth behaviors in babies and toddlers.
• Vicks VapoRub shouldn't be put under the nose: Vicks VapoRub should only be applied to the chest or throat. Never put it on or in the nose where camphor can be absorbed in mucus membranes. In smaller children, inhaling too much camphor can also lead to breathing difficulty.
• Vicks VapoRub shouldn't be applied to broken skin: Camphor can easily enter the body through cracks in the skin. This is why you should never apply Vicks VapoRub under the nose where the skin may be chafed from sneezing and wiping.

Summary

There is no evidence that using Vicks VapoRub on your feet can help ease a cough. It can help ease coughing when applied to the chest or throat. It may even help relieve mild muscle or joint pain when applied to the skin.

Some studies suggest that Vicks VapoRub can help ease nerve-related foot pain, treat cracked heels, and help clear toenail fungus.

Even so, the camphor in Vicks VapoRub is very toxic. Vicks VapoRub should never be used on children under 2 and should never be applied to broken skin, under the nose, or in the nostrils.