Menthol Vapor Rub for Coughs
harphealer (Mount Laguna, CA) on 01/31/2023:
Been using Vicks on the bottom of the feet, cover with socks, for 30 years. Works like a charm.
Rach (San Antonio, Texas) on 12/10/2012:
I tried a menthol vapor rub and it worked for me. Thanks for all the great tips!!!
Kristi (Papillion, Ne) on 05/13/2012:
My son had a terrible cough that over the counter meds were not helping, so I came to your site and saw the vick's remedy, but I didn't have any vicks. I was thinking of going to the store and then remembered the Burt's Bees hand salve in the bottom of my purse. I don't like to use it on my hands because of the "menthol-ish" smell. Just put it on the soles of my son's feet and covered them with socks. So far so good, hopefully he will rest peacefully tonight.
Anna (Kaneohe, Hawaii) on 05/04/2012:
Take some vicks and rub it on each foot before bed. Put on some socks and wear that through the night for about 4 days and that should help. (when I say four days I mean every night for four nights not four days straight)
Jenny (Perth, Western Australia) on 11/29/2011:
I'm on the back-end of a cold and, as always, have got a tickly cough both night and day that sends me off in coughing fits. Three nights ago I slathered Vicks on the soles of my feet, covered them with socks and went straight to bed. I also elevated my head with a second pillow. Worked brilliantly. I've done it every night since - it lasts around 6-8 hours for me. Last night I removed the pillow as it gave me a headache - same great results! Now to try it during the day... :)
Maria (Newmarket, Ontario, Canada) on 08/02/2011:
whenever I get cough, I put vicks vaporub under my feet and then put on the socks it works wonderfully, and the cough stops.
Emilyr (Portland, Or) on 03/29/2011:
Wow Vick's on my feet gave me a night of peace after 2 weeks of a nagging, horrible cough - and very little sleep for my husband and myself. I am 36 and pregnant, and want to avoid medications... But had resorted to using Robetussin which did not help one bit. I had high hopes for ACV honey but so far that has not helped. Still looking for a way to deal with the day-time coughing, but at least I have found a way to get much needed rest! Thanks for this tip! View Entire Thread
Dat (Waipahu, Hi) on 08/07/2009:
Rubbing Vicks on the soles of the feet appears to work sometimes, if you're so tired that you'd probably pass out anyway. I did this for my son several times. The first time, it worked fine, but it was 3:00 in the morning and he had been coughing all night. He finally fell asleep and stay asleep for several hours before waking with another coughing fit. The next few nights that I tried it, sometimes it helped him sleep a few hours before waking again, sometimes it did nothing at all. I tried it for myself and it didn't help me at all.
Janie (Mattoon, Illinois) on 01/10/2009:
Rubbing Vicks all over both of my feet, then covering them with my white socks did NOTHING for my cough. I coughed all night long! Won't try this again. Evidently, I must not have covered that "particular" area that is meant to travel up to the throat that's supposed to quiet my cough. Maybe that treatment is meant for people who are born contortionists who could then be able to reach down, grabbing both their feet and then, fling them up to their nostrils and....sniff for relief? I dunno how I missed it though - I put that messy gook all over the bottoms of my feet and even between my toes,just for safe meassure - hmmmm, that musta been what it was - "The toes knows not where the nose goes"! (Hey - Try saying that five times while holdin' your tongue). Anyways, in all seriousness, to relieve my pesky, irritating cough, I resorted to taking the ACV/Honey and warm water and whallah - No cougha! VICKS - MOVE OVER.... ACV is here!
EC: Yep, we're never sure about those Vicks posts (also on the nail fungus page).
Ken McClelland (Mims, FL / USA) on 01/02/2009:
I'd heard that to get rid of a cough, rub a vigorous amount of Menthol Vapor Rub (Vicks) onto the bottoms of your feet before bedtime, and then cover with a pair of socks. Sounds weird I know, but anything is worth a try if you can't stop coughing. So I passed this on to my email list (I didn't have a cough myself or I'd have tried it), and within a week I heard back from two family members who'd had a constant coughing issue due to colds. The results were 100% in support of its effectiveness. A grandchild who could not get any rest due to coughing slept without a sound after her parents applied the Vicks. And one older relative who had not gotten any rest in days said they slept like a little baby after applying Vicks Vapor Rub to their feet bottoms before bedtime. I'm sold.
