Can Vicks VapoRub on Your Soles Calm Your Cough?

Sometimes a cough can linger on long after the respiratory infection that triggered it has vanished. What do you do for such a cough? We have heard from a surprising number of people that smearing Vicks VapoRub on your soles can quiet even a persistent cough. 

Have You Tried Vicks VapoRub on Your Soles?

Q. I’m skeptical by nature. I was hesitant to try Vicks VapoRub on my feet, but for the past three days I have had the worst cough ever. I’ve been coughing every hour on the hour nonstop. My ribs feel like I’ve been in the ring with Mike Tyson.

Two nights ago I was really struggling to get any rest. My husband suggested putting Vicks on the soles of my feet. I was desperate, so I slathered on the Vicks, put on socks, and within 5-10 minutes the coughing STOPPED. I was able to sleep all night!

In the morning the coughs started up again and lasted all-day-long. A few hours before bedtime I tried a prescription cough medicine. Nothing. If anything, my coughs seemed to be getting worse until I was almost vomiting.

Hubby to the rescue again: “Try the Vicks VapoRub on your soles.”

I did and had the same results. With 5-10 minutes the coughing subsided. I was able to rest comfortably. I wish I knew the science behind this. Whatever it is, it’s worked for me like a charm two nights in a row. I am a believer.

Why Does Putting Vick VapoRub on Your Feet Help a Cough?

A. You and many other readers agree that this remedy works. We have even come up with an explanation for why Vicks and many other remedies work for common ailments. The skin on the soles of the feet (and that on the palms of the hands, too) has receptors that can sense compounds like the camphor and menthol in Vicks VapoRub. The transient receptor potential (TRP) channels that react to these agents can reverse muscle cramps and seem to do something similar for a reflexive cough.

Vicks VapoRub also contains thymol, which has been shown to ease coughs. One mother did a brief “controlled” study on her twins that may interest you. You can read more about the science behind Vicks VapoRub on your soles and other such approaches in our eGuide to Favorite Home Remedies.