Camphorated oil/vic vapour rub,

[Alfred]

Many  years ago when i, and many other children then had colds coming on,  i remember my mother rubbing in my chest with camphorated  oil. at other times it was Vic vapour rub, and it smelled ,


today i think it has been with drawn from sales as recently i read that if camphorated oil gets into a cut it could result in the person getting poisoned,  so i assume this is why its no longer seen on the shelves,.


 how ever im sure a replacement oil is available which is safe to use , but how many children had their chest rubbed or were rubbed in with vic  vapour rub, or camphorated oil in the past all those years ago,


i read that camphor is chemically distilled from turpentine oil , yet back in time our mothers wouldn't have know this as  then not much research was carried out,


Q; did you ever had this treatment when you had the symptoms of a cold coming on, do you any memories of those times,

[Michael Rolls]

Vic, yes - don't remember mum using camphorated but that doesn't mean she didn't
Mike

[fortyone]

Vic is still available and a great cure for fungal nail. It costs a couple of quid but the stuff sold for the job is well over £20.

[Alex22]

Vic is still available and a great cure for fungal nail. It costs a couple of quid but the stuff sold for the job is well over £20.

I remember Vick from when I was a kid and I used in on my kids too.   I've heard it's supposed to be good for cracked heels but I haven't tried it yet  !   

[fortyone]

It's probably one of those things like vinegar which is reckoned to cure all sorts. I know the fungal nail one is correct as my granddaughter got her degree in podiatry and mentioned she used it once when we were going through some coursework I was proofreading for her on the way to her degree. For cracked heels she recommended regular use of moisturiser and sanding off any hard calloused skin.

[Scrumpy]

When I was a little girl I remember that all the class smelled of Vic.. 
It would hang around for ages because it soaked into all our cotton vests.. Even after a few weekly washes the vest would smell of Vic.. Many of kids had a dollop of Vic plonked under their noses..

[GrannyMac]

I've still got some in the bathroom cabinet. Nothing better for clearing a stuffy nose.

[Raven]

YIKES . My mother used to plaster us in both of those and that vile stuff you breathed in boiling water with a towel over your head. Friars Balsom? or something like that......Shudder.

[Michael Rolls]

YIKES . My mother used to plaster us in both of those and that vile stuff you breathed in boiling water with a towel over your head. Friars Balsom? or something like that......Shudder.

Yes  - Friar's Balsam my dad used to swear by it when he had a cold or chesty cough - draped a towel over his head and the bowl it was in, coming up for air occasionally looking like a red-faced Shiek from Araby
Mike

[Floydian]

There's some stuff called olbas oil that you can do the same thing with.