“I know my family in Mexico when I was growing up didn’t have a lot of money, so maybe that’s another reason why it’s been such a staple of certain communities.” “As a Mexican, everybody has a story about their grandma, their aunt, their somebody using VapoRub on them one way or another,” she says. Mendoza, who uses VapoRub on her kids when they have a cold, says she still has strong memories of the product when she was a kid. “We’re very confident that people who receive support in close relationships feel loved and cared for, that they have a more well-regulated immune system." Research shows that “psychological factors have direct biological pathways,” he says. That attention, combined with the memories the smell brings, may help people while they are recovering from illness, says Fagundes at Rice University. Many people-like Mendoza and Baker-say just the scent of regular VapoRub also evokes a feeling of being cared for. “That lavender actually gives you a little sense of pain relief, actually more so than airflow.” “It’s a very calming, soothing scent,” Bhattacharyya says. It works by triggering pleasure receptors in the brain. ![]() Some versions of VapoRub and Tiger Balm also contain lavender, which has a smell known for its calming effects. Knee-replacement patients reported less pain (and reduced blood pressure) after inhaling eucalyptus vapors, according to a 2013 Korean study in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The smell of the ingredients in VapoRub and similar products may provide additional benefits, both directly on pain, and indirectly, by bringing back memories of being cared for. According to the label on the jar, VapoRub should never be ingested. To let the vapors reach your nose and mouth, keep your clothing loose around those areas, she says. ![]() As a cough suppressant for minor throat and bronchial irritation associated with the common cold, rub a thick layer of Vicks VapoRub on your chest and throat and cover it with a warm, dry cloth, she says. Vicks VapoRub is for external use only, stresses Mollie Wheeler, a spokesperson for Procter & Gamble. So while products such as VapoRub can serve as a distraction from congestion and cough, they won’t change the course of the underlying illness on its own, he says. “Just like in Bengay, by the way, or Tiger Balm, the counterstimulation substitutes for the soreness of a sore throat or the feeling of congestion, and it tricks your brain.” “It gives you the sense of your throat being cooled off,” Bhattacharyya says. They “can help by creating the sensation that more air is flowing into your body when you breathe,” he says, adding that this is also how some cough drops such as Halls work. The cooling effect from VapoRub explains how its active ingredients ease the feeling of congestion, Bhattacharyya says.
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