Chest rub or cold rub is an aromatic

topical medication A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surface area, body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large ...

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 Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid pres ...

in many countries.

Vicks VapoRub 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 suppres ...

is perhaps the most well known example.

Application

In addition to the chest it may also be applied to the neck or back, usually immediately before sleeping. Alternatively, it may be added to hot water and the vapours inhaled. There have been reports of accidental

burn injuries A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), solids, ...

scalding Scalding is a form of thermal burn resulting from heated fluids such as boiling water or steam. Most scalds are considered first- or second-degree burns, but third-degree burns can result, especially with prolonged contact. The term is from the L ...

in children by these steam-vapour treatments, when containers of boiling water have been accidentally spilled, and most producers therefore advise against it.

Ingredients

Chest rubs typically consist of a

petroleum jelly Petroleum jelly, petrolatum (), white petrolatum, soft paraffin, or multi-hydrocarbon, CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons (with carbon numbers mainly higher than 25), originally promoted as a topical ointment for i ...

-based ointment.

Menthol Menthol is an organic compound, specifically a Monoterpene, monoterpenoid, that occurs naturally in the oils of several plants in the Mentha, mint family, such as Mentha arvensis, corn mint and peppermint. It is a white or clear waxy crystallin ...

is the most common

active ingredient An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. ...

, but

camphor 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 (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapu ...

and

eucalyptus oil Eucalyptus oil is the generic name for distilled oil from the leaves of ''Eucalyptus'', a genus of the plant family Myrtaceae, mostly native to Australia but cultivated worldwide. Eucalyptus oil has a history of wide application, as a pharmace ...

may also be present. Various fragrance compounds may be added, which are usually complementary with the strong mint-licorice odour of the menthol. Examples include:

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by an unsaturated lactone ring , forming a second six-me ...

thymol Thymol (also known as 2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol, IPMP), , is a toxic monoterpenoid phenol derivative of ''p''-Cymene, isomeric with carvacrol. It occurs naturally in the oil of thyme, and it is extracted from ''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thy ...

(thyme oil),

limonene Limonene () is a colorless liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic monoterpene, and is the major component in the essential oil of citrus fruit peels. The (+)-isomer, occurring more commonly in nature as the fragrance of oranges, ...

, cedarleaf oil,

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...

oil and

Lavender oil Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. It is commonly used in aromatherapy, perfumery, and as a flavoring or fragrance in consumer products. A standardized oral ...

Effectiveness

A single study of vapor rub found that it improved cough and cold symptoms more than a control in children with the common cold. Side effects included mild irritation of the skin where it was applied. The study was funded by Procter & Gamble, the owner of Vicks.

Football player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

s apply

on their chest to improve respiratory function.

References

{{reflist Ointments

Application

Ingredients

Effectiveness

See also

References