New research from Wake Forest University says that Vicks VapoRub, that menthol balm used to relieve congestion, might make matters worse for infants and small children.

The study found that the product might actually create more mucus and airway inflammation and can have severe impacts for young ones because their airways are so small. The label says that it's not for kids under age 2, but apparently it's still being used on them. Researchers started the study after treating an infant who had the rub put directly under her nose, a press release said.

"The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway," said Dr. Bruce K. Rubin, the lead author of the study and a professor at the Brenner Children's Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist. The study appears in this month's issue of Chest, a journal.

Rubin recommends that Vicks VapoRub is never used directly under the nose of anybody. And that it not be used for kids under age 2. 

According to a press release from Wake Forest, Vicks was first created in Greensboro in 1891. It's been marketed as "The only thing more powerful than a mother's touch."

Read more about it here.