Here's one from a while back. :)
Grandma's Elixir
Contrary to what my grandma believed, Vicks VapoRub is not really a cure-all. That's not to say it doesn't work for some things, but Grandma thought it was the answer to most any ailment
Cold and cough? You can bet it was rubbed on our chest
Stuffy nose? Just inhale that eucalyptus and camphor smell and put a dab in your nostrils and it will help you breathe easier. This one actually got me into some trouble at school one day. Fighting a cold, I had put a glop of it in a Kleenex to take to school. When my nose felt stuffy, I'd occasionally take it out and sniff the VapoRub . Unfortunately, Mr. Emerson, my 9th grade history teacher, didn't appreciate the magical properties of Vicks and made me throw it away and write sentences for interrupting the class. Of course, my friends and I had been pretending it was snot on the tissue in order to gross out the snobby girl that sat in front of me.
Sore throat? Grandma told me many times to unscrew that green lid and get a little on my finger to swallow down. When I pointed out the warning on the label (which by the way says DO NOT USE IN THROAT OR MOUTH), she assured me that a little bit wouldn't hurt me; it would just make my throat numb and make me feel better. Thankfully there were times that I didn't follow her advice.
I saw her use it on her hand one day when she burned herself taking cornbread from the oven, and even overheard her telling my aunt that she'd used it on her hemorrhoids! Yes, Grandma would've been a great spokesperson for their company, because she sure believed in the power of that salve.
I always got a chuckle out of how she kept that jar handy and how often she touted it's benefits, so imagine my surprise when a few years ago, I read something on the internet claiming that Vicks VapoRub could help cure nail fungus. My sister-in-law had just been complaining to me about my brother's toenails turning yellow because he'd gotten a fungus from spreading out mulch while barefoot. (Is this a gross blog post or what?!) Excited that maybe my grandma had been on to something after all, I called to share the remedy with her. Laughing, she interrupted me and said that they'd read the same thing and that he'd been rubbing it on his toenails every night for 3 weeks. "Is it working?" I asked hopefully. "No," she said, "but I sure can breathe good!"
For those of you interested, here are a few links showing the history and many uses of Vicks VapoRub:
http://www.ehow.com/way_5445453_vicks-vaporub-remedies.html
http://www.mythirtyspot.com/2012/10/13-helpful-ways-to-use-vicks-vaporub.html
