so are you saying topical application do nothing? i think vicks vap-o rub is quite effective for .. "all pains in the head coming of a cold cause"-- if by cold cause he means caused by colds -- and who knows maybe feverfew (which is a stongly scented member of the chrystanthium family if i am not mistaken) was as effective as menthol, an other member of the mint family. sometimes volitals can carry the effective ingredient.
there is a evidence that both mustard poltices, and onion poltices, (applied to the chest) where effective in treating pnuemonia. (onion particuarlly, since there are compounds in onions that can pass right through the skin.. they are transdermal molicules, the same kind that are used to "piggy back" drugs into the body with things like the nicotine patches, and the new birth control patches.)
i am sure many herbal remedies were placebos, and the cures the effected came from time and the sense of being cared for... that someone would care enough to learn what would help, and then procure the cure and prepare it..
nowdays, we know, chicken soup does really help a common cold.. the volitals in the broth help moisten the sinus membranes, and ease congestion and releive some sinus pain. (and of course fluid intake is an important part of treating a cold.. ) but the sense of being cared for is also part of the "cure".
there is today no real cure for the common cold.. most medicines just make you feel better.. if i am chilled with fever, i bet a warm poltice on my head would be one more thing that would help me feel warm and cared for.. and make me feel better!
feverfew
