Both menthol and eucalyptus have been show capable of creating mucus
membrane and sometimes skin irritation and inflammation in herbal
studies, BTW, and note other things reported with use of that compound
including liver damage in the press release.

The complete journal article can be found here and "peer reviewed"
means that multiple other experts in the field independently read the
article beforehand and decide if they consider it worth inclusion,
worth inclusion IF someone has an added rebuttal, or in need of
rewriting:

http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/135/1/143.long

and here is the abstract:

>Chest. 2009 Jan;135(1):143-8.
>Vicks VapoRub induces mucin secretion, decreases ciliary beat
>frequency, and increases tracheal mucus transport in the ferret
>trachea.
>Abanses JC, Arima S, Rubin BK.
>Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
>Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1081, USA.
>
>Comment in:
>Chest. 2009 Aug;136(2):650; author reply 650-1.
>Abstract
>BACKGROUND: Vicks VapoRub (VVR) [Proctor and Gamble; Cincinnati, OH]
>is often used to relieve symptoms of chest congestion. We cared for a
>toddler in whom severe respiratory distress developed after VVR was
>applied directly under her nose. We hypothesized that VVR induced
>inflammation and adversely affected mucociliary function, and tested
>this hypothesis in an animal model of airway inflammation.
>
>METHODS: [1] Trachea specimens excised from 15 healthy ferrets were
>incubated in culture plates lined with 200 mg of VVR, and the mucin
>secretion was compared to those from controls without VVR. Tracheal
>mucociliary transport velocity (MCTV) was measured by timing the
>movement of 4 microL of mucus across the trachea. Ciliary beat
>frequency (CBF) was measured using video microscopy. [2] Anesthetized
>and intubated ferrets inhaled a placebo or VVR that was placed at the
>proximal end of the endotracheal tube. We evaluated both healthy
>ferrets and animals in which we first induced tracheal inflammation
>with bacterial endotoxin (a lipopolysaccharide [LPS]). Mucin secretion
>was measured using an enzyme-linked lectin assay, and lung water was
>measured by wet/dry weight ratios.
>
>RESULTS: [1] Mucin secretion was increased by 63% over the controls in
>the VVR in vitro group (p < 0.01). CBF was decreased by 35% (p < 0.05)
>in the VVR group. [2] Neither LPS nor VVR increased lung water, but
>LPS decreased MCTV in both normal airways (31%) and VVR-exposed
>airways (30%; p = 0.03), and VVR increased MCTV by 34% in LPS-inflamed
>airways (p = 0.002).
>
>CONCLUSIONS: VVR stimulates mucin secretion and MCTV in the
>LPS-inflamed ferret airway. This set of findings is similar to the
>acute inflammatory stimulation observed with exposure to irritants,
>and may lead to mucus obstruction of small airways and increased nasal
>resistance.
>
>PMID: 19136404 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Free Article

---

From an earlier post on mine with much of the original press release:

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL7538

They used ferrets as their subjects because of their close airway
anatomy to humans. Results show VapoRub increases mucus secretion in
both normal and inflamed airways. It also slows the speed at which
mucus is cleared from the trachea....

SOURCE: Chest, 2009:135;143-148

END QUOTED SEGMENTS

http://www.eurekalert.org/bysubject/medicine.php

Press Release:

Although the press release talks a lot about use in children notice
that after noting problems in children the work was done on ferrets
so what has been learned is directly applicable for ferrets.

BEGIN QUOTE

Public release date: 13-Jan-2009

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

Popular cold and cough treatment may create respiratory distress in
young children

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. New research out of Wake Forest University Baptist
Medical Center suggests that Vicks VapoRub, the popular menthol
compound used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, may instead
create respiratory distress in infants and small children.

The study appears in this month's issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed
journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, and reports that
the product may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation,
which can have severe effects on breathing infants or young children
because of the small size of their airways.

"The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce
more mucus to protect the airway," said Bruce K. Rubin, M.D., lead
author of the study and a professor in the department of pediatrics at
Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest Baptist. "Infants and
young children have airways that are much narrower than those of
adults, so any increase in mucus or inflammation can narrow them more
severely."

Vicks VapoRub was first compounded in 1891, in Greensboro. It was
introduced in 1905 with the name Vick's Magic Croup Salve. The flu
epidemic of 1918 increased sales from $900,000 to $2.9 million in just
one year and Procter & Gamble has since marketed the product as "The
only thing more powerful than a mother's touch."

The salve is widely used to relieve symptoms of colds and congestion,
but there are few data supporting an actual clinical benefit, according
to Rubin. Vicks has been reported to cause inflammation in the eyes,
mental status changes, lung inflammation, liver damage, constriction of
airways and allergic reactions.

Interest in conducting the study developed after Rubin and colleagues
treated an infant who was taken to the emergency room after developing
severe respiratory distress following the application of Vicks directly
under her nose. Researchers sought to determine the effect of the
product on the respiratory system using ferrets, which have an airway
anatomy and cellular composition similar to humans. The team conducted
tests on healthy ferrets and ferrets that had tracheal inflammation
(simulating a person with a chest infection) that measured the effects
of Vicks on mucus secretion and buildup in the airways, and fluid
buildup in the lungs.

Results showed that Vicks exposure increased mucus secretion in both
normal and inflamed airways. In addition, the studies showed that
exposure to the product decreased the rate by which mucus was cleared
from the trachea.

The findings support current product labeling, which indicates the
product should not be used on children under 2 years of age. However,
many parents continue to use Vicks on their sick children, often
rubbing the salve on the feet or chest, Rubin said.

"I recommend never putting Vicks in, or under, the nose of anybody
adult or child," Rubin said. "I also would follow the directions and
never use it at all on children under age 2."

Even when directions are followed, Vicks will make people with
congestion more comfortable, but it does nothing to increase airflow
or actually relieve congestion, Rubin added.

"Some of the ingredients in Vicks, notably the menthol, trick the brain
into thinking that it is easier to breathe by triggering a cold
sensation, which is processed as indicating more airflow," he said.
"Vicks may make you feel better but it can't help you breathe better."

In addition to Vicks VapoRub, decongestants are not recommended for
young children.

"Mucus is one of the most effective ways that our body protects our air
passages like the nose and bronchial tubes," Rubin said. "However, lots
of mucus and inflammation can cause congestion, especially in little
noses. Cough and cold medicines and decongestants are dangerous and
neither effective nor safe for young children. Medications to dry up
nasal passages also have problems," Rubin said. "The best treatments
for congestion are a bit of saline (salt water) and gentle rubber bulb
suction, warm drinks or chicken soup, and, often, just letting the
passage of time heal the child."

Dr. Rubin also notes that if a child is struggling to breathe, it is a
medical emergency and would require the child to be seen by a doctor as
quickly as possible.

Co-researchers for the study were Juan Carlos Abanses, M.D., and Shinbu
Arima, M.D., both of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

END QUOTE

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 6997]