View source for Liniment

{{Short description|Ointment-like medicated topical preparation for application to skin}}
{{medref|date=April 2015}}
[[File:Herb Knudson's Surgical 11.jpg|thumb|Sloan's Liniment (right) was once a popular over-the-counter drug.]]

'''Liniment''' (from {{langx|la|linere}}, meaning "to smear, [[Anointing|anoint]]"), also called '''embrocation''' and '''heat rub''', is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have a viscosity similar to that of water; others are [[lotion]] or balm; still, others are in [[transdermal patches]], soft solid sticks, and sprays. Liniment usually is rubbed into the skin, which the active ingredients penetrate.

Liniments are typically sold to relieve pain and stiffness, such as from [[muscle|muscular]] [[Pain and nociception|ache]]s and [[Strain (injury)|strain]]s, and [[arthritis]]. These are typically formulated from [[ethanol|alcohol]], [[acetone]], or similar quickly evaporating [[solvent]]s and contain [[counterirritant]] aromatic chemical compounds, such as [[methyl salicylate]], [[benzoin resin]], [[menthol]], and [[capsaicin]]. They produce a feeling of warmth within the [[muscle]] of the area they are applied to, typically acting as [[rubefacients]] via a counterirritant effect.

[[Methyl salicylate]], which is the [[analgesic]] ingredient in some heat rubs, can be toxic if used in excess.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2007 |title=Muscle cream caused NYC teen's death |publisher=The Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-09-4199171116_x.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213235713/https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-09-4199171116_x.htm |archive-date=2009-02-13 |access-date=April 2, 2012}}</ref> [[Heating pad]]s are also not recommended for use with heat rubs, because the added warmth may cause overabsorption of the active ingredients.

== Notable liniments ==
[[Image:Old bottle of Mentholatum.JPG|thumb|upright=.8|An old bottle of AA Hyde Mentholatum Ointment]]

* [[A.B.C. Liniment]] was used from approximately 1880 to 1935.<ref name='family-doctor-1935'>{{cite book | title = Everybody's Family Doctor | publisher = Odhams Press LTD | year = 1935 | location = London, UK | pages = 7 }}</ref><ref name='1880-letter'>{{cite journal|doi=10.1136/bmj.1.1002.424|title=Letters, Notes, and Answers to Correspondents|journal=Br Med J|date=March 13, 1880|first=John|last=Cross|volume=1|issue=1002|pages=424–426|pmc= 2239646}}</ref> It was named for its three primary ingredients: [[Aconitum|aconite]], [[Atropa belladonna|belladonna]], and [[chloroform]].<ref name='family-doctor-1935' />  There were numerous examples of [[Toxin|poisoning]] from the mixture, resulting in at least one death.<ref name='poison1'>{{cite journal|title=Liniment A.B.C. poisoning|journal=Journal of the Indian Medical Association |date=16 March 1967|first1=R P.|last1=Sinha|last2=Mitra|first2=S K. |last3=Roy |first3=P K.|volume=48|issue=6|pages=278–9|pmid=6038536 }}{{failed verification|date=March 2022}}</ref><ref name='poison2'>{{cite journal|doi=10.1136/bmj.1.435.399-a|title=Fatal Case Of Poisoning By A.B.C. Liniment|journal=The British Medical Journal|date=February 15, 1896|first=Archibald|last=Weir|volume=1|issue=1833|pages=399–400|s2cid=19739440}}</ref><ref name='poison3'>{{cite journal|title=Accidental Poisoning of Children in Belfast: A Report of two years' experience at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children|journal=Ulster Med J.|date=November 1954|first=O D.|last=Fisher|pmid=20476409|volume=23|issue=2|pmc=2480209|pages=124–131}}</ref><ref name='poison4'>{{cite journal|doi=10.1136/adc.28.137.26|title=Accidental Poisoning of Young Children|journal=Arch Dis Child|date=February 1953 |first=Douglas|last=Swinscow|pmid=13031693|volume=28|issue=137|pmc=1988641|pages=26–29}}</ref>
* [[Amrutanjan (balm)|Amrutanjan]] is an analgesic balm manufactured by [[Amrutanjan Healthcare]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-marketing/Amrutanjan-relaunches-pain-balm/article20147972.ece|title=Amrutanjan relaunches pain balm|website=@businessline|date=20 November 2008 |access-date=2020-10-25|archive-date=2020-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028211321/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-marketing/Amrutanjan-relaunches-pain-balm/article20147972.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> It was created in 1893 by an [[India|Indian]]journalist and freedom fighter, [[Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/management/answers-to-last-week-s-quiz-329-113111000505_1.html|title=Answers to last week's quiz (#329) |author=Strategist Team |newspaper=Business Standard India |date=November 11, 2013|via=Business Standard|access-date=October 25, 2020|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703173753/https://www.business-standard.com/article/management/answers-to-last-week-s-quiz-329-113111000505_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>
* [[Bengay]], spelled Ben-Gay before 1995, was developed in France by Dr. [[Jules Bengué]], and brought to America in 1898. It was originally produced by [[Pfizer]] Consumer Healthcare, which was acquired by [[Johnson & Johnson]].
* Dr. Cox's Barbed Wire Liniment and Antiseptic, made by Myers Laboratory. Marketed as treatment for minor wounds (contains iodine) for livestock and humans, such as barbed wire scratches.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1348738|title=Dr. Cox's Barbed Wire Lniment|access-date=19 Jan 2025}}</ref> 
* IcyHot is a line of liniments produced and marketed by [[Chattem]], now a subsidiary of [[Sanofi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dopamine.chem.umn.edu/chempedia/index.php/Icy_Hot|title=Icy Hot - Chempedia|date=2 August 2008|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802014048/https://dopamine.chem.umn.edu/chempedia/index.php/Icy_Hot|archive-date=2 August 2008}}</ref>
* [[Mentholatum|Mentholatum Ointment]], branded [[Deep Heat (heat rub)|Deep Heat]] outside of the US, was introduced in December 1894 and is still produced today with numerous variations.<ref>Springville Journal Staff.  January 30, 2015  [https://springvillejournal.com/the-mentholatum-company-thanks-wny-residents-for-success/ The Mentholatum Company thanks WNY residents for success] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730231304/https://springvillejournal.com/the-mentholatum-company-thanks-wny-residents-for-success/ |date=2016-07-30 }}</ref>
* [[Minard's Liniment]]: Dr. Levi Minard of [[Nova Scotia]], branded as "The King of Pain,"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Freeman |first=Beverly J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MPn9GgAACAAJ |title=Levi Minard, M.D., King of Pain |date=1998 |publisher=B.J. Freeman |language=en |oclc=40881236 |access-date=2022-03-14 |archive-date=2022-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314094723/https://books.google.com/books?id=MPn9GgAACAAJ&newbks=0&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> created his well-known liniment from camphor, ammonia water, and medical turpentine.
* [[Nine oils]]: a 19th-century preparation used on both horses and humans. Although druggists' books sometimes specified recipes, [[Quackery|street doctors]] often promoted any kind of oil as the "nine oils".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.victorianlondon.org/publications3/toilers-19.htm|title=Victorian London - Publications - Social Investigation/Journalism - Toilers in London, by One of the Crowd [James Greenwood], [1883] - Doctor Quackinbosh|website=www.victorianlondon.org|access-date=2022-02-24|archive-date=2021-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117131403/https://www.victorianlondon.org/publications3/toilers-19.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pDddAAAAcAAJ&q=%22nine+oils%22+patent+medicine&pg=RA1-PA21|title=The Dictionary of Practical Receipts; Containing the Arcana of Trade and Manufacture; Domestic Economy; Artistical, Ornamental&scientific Processes; Pharmaceutical and Chemical Preparations, Etc. (Third Edition.).|last=FRANCIS|first=George William|date=1853|publisher=J. Allen, D. Francis|language=en|access-date=2020-10-18|archive-date=2022-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224180329/https://books.google.com/books?id=pDddAAAAcAAJ&q=%22nine+oils%22+patent+medicine&pg=RA1-PA21|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Opodeldoc]]: invented by the [[Renaissance]] physician [[Paracelsus]].
* [[RUB A535]]: introduced in 1919 and manufactured by [[Church & Dwight]] in Canada.
* [[Thermacare]]: Acquired in 2020 by [[Italy|Italy's]] [[Angelini]] when it was spun off following the merger of [[Pfizer]] with [[GlaxoSmithKline]]'s consumer healthcare division.
* [[Tiger Balm]] was developed during the 1870s in [[Rangoon]], [[Burma]] by herbalist [[Aw Chu Kin]], and brought to market by his sons. It is composed of 16% [[menthol]] and 28% [[Methyl salicylate|oil of wintergreen]].<ref>{{citation | url=https://www.tigerbalm.com/index.php?id=7 | title=Tiger Balm: Heritage | access-date=2009-09-30 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831044510/https://www.tigerbalm.com/index.php?id=7 | archive-date=2009-08-31 }} </ref>
* Watkins Liniment:  One of [[Watkins Incorporated]]'s original products.

== Use on horses ==
[[File:Antiphlogistine.jpg|thumb|upright|A 1914 advertisement for "[[Antiphlogistine]]"|alt=A black-and-white rectangle. On the left a stylized heroic nude holds a pot over his head. The title is Restore Normal Circulation. It is followed by pseudo-scientific jargon. The words "Antiphlogistine TRADE MARK" are highlighted in a rounded rectangle. The advertisement has a footer with "THE DENVER CHEMICAL MFG. CO., NEW YORK, U. S. A.]]

Liniments are commonly used on horses following exercise, applied either by rubbing on full-strength, especially on the legs; or applied in a diluted form, usually added to a bucket of water and sponged on the body. They are used in hot weather to help cool down a horse after working, the alcohol cooling through rapid evaporation, and counterirritant oils dilating capillaries in the skin, increasing the amount of blood releasing heat from the body.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.horsechannel.com/horse-health/liniments-poultices-10382.aspx|title=Liniments and Poultices for Sore Horses|website=www.horsechannel.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004211415/https://www.horsechannel.com/horse-health/liniments-poultices-10382.aspx|archive-date=4 October 2017}}</ref>

Many horse liniment formulas in diluted form have been used on humans, though products for horses which contain [[DMSO]] are not suitable for human use, as DMSO carries the topical product into the bloodstream.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://orientalherb.com/how-is-horse-liniment-helpful-to-humans/ |title=How is Horse Liniment Helpful to Humans? |access-date=2016-06-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716104257/https://orientalherb.com/how-is-horse-liniment-helpful-to-humans/ |archive-date=2016-07-16 }}</ref> Horse liniment ingredients such as menthol, [[chloroxylenol]], or iodine are also used in different formulas in products used by humans.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reference.com/health/horse-liniment-safe-humans-4fd8f682b65bf829#|title=Is Horse Liniment Safe for Humans?|website=reference.com|date=4 August 2015 |access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609110144/https://www.reference.com/health/horse-liniment-safe-humans-4fd8f682b65bf829|archive-date=9 June 2017}}</ref>

[[Absorbine]], a horse liniment product manufactured by [[W.F. Young, Inc.]], was reformulated for humans and marketed as Absorbine Jr.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/8178836/To-all-you-neigh-sayers-this-horse-rub-really-does-work.html|title=To all you neigh-sayers, this horse rub really does work|first=Robin|last=Millward|date=6 December 2010|access-date=9 May 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925035247/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/8178836/To-all-you-neigh-sayers-this-horse-rub-really-does-work.html|archive-date=25 September 2017}}</ref>  The company also acquired other liniment brands including Bigeloil and RefreshMint.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://absorbine.com/products/muscle-care/|title=Horse Muscle Care And Joint Care Products - Absorbine|website=Absorbine|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117004448/https://absorbine.com/products/muscle-care/|archive-date=17 November 2017}}</ref>  The equine version of Absorbine is sometimes used by humans,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://askdrgottmd.com/horse-liniment-helps-the-pain/ |title=Horse liniment helps the pain |access-date=2016-06-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702070838/https://askdrgottmd.com/horse-liniment-helps-the-pain/ |archive-date=2012-07-02 }}</ref> though, anecdotally, its benefits in humans may be because the smell of menthol releases [[serotonin]], or due to a [[placebo effect]].<ref name=telegraph/>

[[Earl Sloan]] was a US entrepreneur who made his initial fortune selling his father's horse liniment formula beginning in the period following the Civil War. Sloan's liniment with capsicum as a key ingredient was also marketed for human use. He later sold his company to the predecessor of [[Warner–Lambert]], which was purchased in 2000 by [[Pfizer]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodges |first=Jim |date=2 August 2014 |title=Historical Society Curator Reveals Early 20th Century Success Story |url=https://www.newbernsj.com/news/local/historical-society-curator-reveals-early-20th-century-success-story/article_43af1ca9-ad72-5d78-ad0f-f9dcfef21942.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204014720/https://www.newbernsj.com/news/local/historical-society-curator-reveals-early-20th-century-success-story/article_43af1ca9-ad72-5d78-ad0f-f9dcfef21942.html |archive-date=4 December 2023 |url-status=live |website=[[New Bern Sun Journal]] |location=New Bern, NC |access-date=3 December 2023<!-- UTC-5 time zone. -->}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Warner Lambert. 2000: Pfizer joins forces with Warner-Lambert |url=https://www.pfizer.com/about/history/pfizer_warner_lambert |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107032439/https://www.pfizer.com/about/history/pfizer_warner_lambert |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=live |publisher=Pfizer |access-date=9 May 2018}}</ref>
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== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links==
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{Dosage forms|state=expanded}}

[[Category:Dosage forms]]
[[Category:Drug delivery devices]]
[[Category:Ointments]]