Vicks VapoRub for Male Enhancement: Does It Work?

Online research can be an okay way to narrow down causes of sudden symptoms and double-check your ailments, but we also know — and hope you know, too — that message boards aren’t the best place to get the best male health support, especially if you have erectile dysfunction (ED). 

Case in point: the myth that Vicks VapoRub® can help with the treatment of erectile dysfunction. 

Despite literally no scientific studies on this topic, internet users are nevertheless constantly spreading the same rumors that over-the-counter VapoRub and its active ingredients can have some benefits for natural male enhancement, penis enlargement, ejaculation or other kinds of sexual enhancement. The evidence: “trust me bro.”

Below, we’ve explained why the best male sexual enhancement (of any kind) is not, in fact, an ointment people use for chest colds, but rather a list of other things that research actually supports. We’ve also covered how VapoRub works, the risks of misuse and the alternatives to look into instead.

Vicks VapoRub is an over-the-counter topical containing camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol as active ingredients. Officially, Vicks VapoRub is a topical analgesic — a pain reliever — and cough suppressant.

Vicks advertises that the VapoRub can be used to relieve cough that occurs from minor airway irritation, and it can help with minor aches and pains. To use it, it’s rubbed onto the chest and throat (or other affected area). 

Unfortunately for all the guys out there searching their medicine cabinets for quick erectile dysfunction relief, Vicks VapoRub is also not much of an alternative to male enhancement pills, ED medications and the like. 

We’ve read the same rumors online, and from our research, the only semi-legitimate explanation has to do with research into the topical benefits of some compounds found in Vicks VapoRub. 

One study, for example, found that topical menthol could be a vasodilator — essentially something that helps your blood vessels relax, like medications that are prescribed to treat ED. 

The problem is that this study looked at cutaneous vasodilation, which is dilation of the small blood vessels in the skin, not of the larger blood vessels deeper underneath. 

As you might guess, the small blood vessels in the skin aren’t the ones that help you get an erection.

Even the most optimistic research — a study of topical menthol for ED — only determined that it was a vastly underexplored research area, and that more studies are needed.

So, there is no scientific evidence (let alone medical guidance) that suggests Vicks VapoRub is safe or beneficial for use on your penis.

Now, there is an interesting new entrant on the scene. Recently, the FDA authorized a non-medicated, non-prescription topical gel called Eroxon StimGel for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Eroxon StimGel is rubbed onto the penis, and it works because the cooling and warming sensations that occur as it’s evaporating simulate nerve endings in the penis, leading to more blood flow and an erection. 

Is it possible that Vicks VapoRub has some similar effect and can somehow stimulate some men to get some sort of an erection? Maybe — it hasn’t been researched, and it’s hard to say. Eroxon StimGel and Vicks VapoRub are two completely different products with different ingredients, and they are meant for different purposes.

Vicks VapoRub can cause skin irritation if you’re sensitive to any of its ingredients, and it can cause an allergic reaction if you’re allergic to any of its ingredients.

Additionally, Vicks VapoRub is only intended for external use. Don’t put it in your eyes, don’t ingest it, and don’t rub it near mucous membranes (like inside your nostrils) or on broken skin. You also shouldn’t put it on your penis and then have your penis touch other people’s mucous membranes — like the inside of their vagina, mouth, or anus. Camphor, one of the ingredients, can be toxic.

If you’ve been having erectile function problems for a while, you may have eyeballed supplements and other non-prescription products for a quick fix. While prescription ED pills are certainly an effective treatment, that weird stuff at gas stations isn’t going to help.

Understanding the factors at work in ED is essential for treatment — and it’s a long list of potential causes. Stress, obesity, anxiety, blood flow issues, illicit and prescribed medications and their side effects can all make it hard to get hard, as can smoking, poor diet, hormone imbalances and more.

Luckily, real treatment options abound. We’ve already mentioned one (Eroxon StimGel) above.

There are also a variety of actually effective ED medications on the market, including Viagra® (sildenafil), Cialis® (tadalafil), and Stendra® (avanafil). 

These drugs are phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors and actually do work. Specifically, they increase blood flow to your penis and make your chances of getting hard higher. 

Pills (as well as our hard mints chewable ED meds) are convenient and fairly simple — ask a healthcare provider today if you’re interested, but make sure to mention problems like high blood pressure or heart health issues when you do.

Other ED treatment options may include other medications, like alprostadil (an injectable), and lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking, dropping weight, exercising, getting more sleep and trying to cut some stress. Therapy can also help. Men with performance anxiety and unaddressed intimacy issues can really see their game turn around in the second half with a little vulnerability to a therapy professional.

Convenient approaches like online therapy can help you address anxiety, depression and whatever else might be standing in your erection’s way or causing psychological ED.

If you’re reading this in the first place, we’re guessing you were searching for Vicks VapoRub as an ED treatment because the internet is less judgmental than a doctor might be. 

Nobody’s judging you. An estimated 30 million to 50 million men nationwide experience erectile dysfunction, making it a fairly common condition for adult men — you’re not alone.

Guys tend to avoid talking to doctors (or anyone) about problems with their sex life, and so “home” remedies and non-prescription options are at the top of a lot of lists. 

Here’s the thing:

• Vicks VapoRub is not the solution.

• No studies have demonstrated any benefits of Vicks VapoRub for ED, and you should avoid any sort of internal application of it (including secondhand).

• If you’re suffering from erectile dysfunction, don’t keep using Google as your healthcare provider. Talk to an actual healthcare professional.

Here's a bit of necessary tough love: stop Googling other treatment options and taking advice from less-than-safe sources. 

Ready to do something? Our ED resources are a great place to start. Reach out today — and stop putting stuff from the medicine cabinet on your penis — unless it’s meant for that purpose.