The role of mothballs

In China, people put mothballs in wardrobes to repel mosquitoes and deodorize. There are two types of camphor balls: natural camphor balls and synthetic camphor balls. Natural camphor balls have a fragrant smell, are transparent or bright white in color, and are non-irritating to the human body. Synthetic camphor balls have a pungent smell and are mainly white in color.

In clinical practice, natural camphor balls are also a traditional Chinese medicine that can eliminate pain and swelling, kill mosquitoes, and can be used to treat tenderness, itching, and swelling and pain from bruises. Natural camphor balls also have a certain antiseptic effect and can have a certain anesthetic effect.

Natural mothballs have a stimulating effect, making the stomach feel warm and comfortable, but large amounts can cause nausea and vomiting. Camphor ointment is used clinically to relieve pain and relieve itching. Oral administration has a carminative and mild expectorant effect.

The systemic effect of natural camphor balls is mainly to excite the central nervous system, which is particularly significant for the higher centers. They act in large quantities on the motor area of ​​the cerebral cortex and the brainstem, causing epileptic convulsions. Camphor at normal doses has no significant effect on respiration. Under extremely depressed conditions, some respiratory excitement may be seen, mainly due to reflex excitement caused by stimulation of the receptors during subcutaneous injection.

Natural camphor preparations were once widely used as cardiotonic drugs, and they have no digitalis or adrenaline-like effects. It has no effect on normal myocardium, but high concentrations can inhibit it. In isolated hearts, the excitatory effect is only seen when failure is caused. The excitatory effect on vascular motility is only seen when its function is extremely low, causing visceral blood vessels to contract and skin blood vessels to dilate, leading to an increase in blood pressure.

The effects of natural mothballs are very obvious, especially their medicinal effects. However, synthetic mothballs have a strong tendency to cause cancer. In addition, newborns and pregnant women must not come into contact with mothballs. If newborns are exposed to mothballs, it is easy to cause heart failure, which can even be life-threatening and leave sequelae such as disability.