Remember when Mom would look at a certain medical ointment and see it as a cure-all? Yep. Like mother, like a daughter in this situation.
There probably are some Outsiders who see a jar of Vicks and might get nightmares. Some, though, might remember those days of getting sick and having your mother use Vicks as a salve.
Heather Chacon, an assistant professor of English at Greensboro College in Greensboro, N.C., happened to find some for her son. Yet there’s an interesting twist to the story. Take a look at what Chacon shared with the world on Twitter.
Isn’t that amazing? A solid win for this mother. Plus, she received some support from her own mother.
It’s the same dang bottle of Vicks from her childhood. That’s amazing and, well, you just have to score it as a win for the lasting power of this ointment.
Mother Using Vicks Brought Other Unique, Friendly Responses Online
Chacon added this note on another Twitter post, writing, “Rest assured I did use this and it did indeed help. Vintage Vicks for the win.”
Then Twitter user Amber Oldenburg wrote this, “We’ve still been using this jar from the 70s.” That reply did have with it a picture of said bottle. Maybe this is from one mother, not related, to another mother. You know, Outsiders, Mother does her best.
Travis Chi Wing Lau also replied to Chacon’s original post. He wrote, “I used to use those vicks vaporub tubes that you inhale. stillllllllllll a go-to.”
This leaves one to wonder if every mother in the United States might have received some “inside baseball” from their moms. It would make sense, right? An older mom says to a younger one, “OK, if the baby gets sick, then always go to Vicks. It cures everything.”
So, just what is Vicks good for in a medical sense?
Using Salve Might Help Those With Coughs, Muscle Aches
“Vicks VapoRub is a popular over-the-counter (OTC) medication that is applied to the skin to treat coughs and relieve muscle aches and pain,” according to an article from Very Well Health. “Both symptoms are frequently caused by the common cold. There’s no evidence that Vicks VapoRub can cure upper respiratory symptoms, but it may help lessen congestion and cough.”
Still, people find this salve and ointment has a purpose.
Twitter user Douglas Dowland wrote, “Vintage Vicks is the best Vicks.” Chacon replied, “Single-barrel, aged!”
Many a mother has turned to Vicks in time of need. But can an expired bottle of Vicks be used and be OK? Vicks says no.
On the medication’s website, it replies to a question about whether Vicks expires.
“Yes. Do not use Vicks VapoRub beyond the expiration date on the package.”
