in capsule form.
Garlic could be helpful in preventing colds. In one study, 146 people took a garlic supplement or placebo for 12 weeks. The people in the garlic group had less than half the number of colds, though their recovery time was similar to those in the placebo group.
Green Tea
If you’d like to avoid cold and flu symptoms, perhaps a daily cup of green tea is in order.
In a recent study, the group that took green tea capsules twice daily for 12 weeks revealed 32 percent fewer participants with cold and flu symptoms and had 36 percent fewer days with symptoms than the group taking a placebo.
As a result, the University of Florida researchers called this remedy “safe and effective” for preventing cold and flu symptoms.
Echinacea
When adding cold remedies to your arsenal, echinacea may be useful for preventing cold and flu symptoms.
A recent study combining the results of 14 earlier studies found that echinacea reduced the odds of developing a cold by 58 percent and decreased the duration of a cold by nearly a day and a half. These findings support echinacea’s benefit in protecting you from colds, the authors wrote.
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Zinc
Cold remedies containing zinc remain controversial, as some research found that they weren’t effective against the common cold.
A study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, however, did find that people taking zinc acetate lozenges had a shorter duration of the cold than those taking a placebo.
Conversely, the FDA issued a warning to avoid using products containing zinc that are intended to be put in the nose, since the products were linked to a possibility of permanent loss of smell.
Airborne
If you believe the advertisements, the dietary supplement Airborne is one of the all-time great cold remedies.
But perhaps you shouldn’t be a believer. The makers of the Airborne products, a vitamin-herb concoction famously invented by a schoolteacher, settled a class-action lawsuit for $22 million and later settled Federal Trade Commission charges that they didn’t have sufficient evidence to back up their claims. Although plenty of users say it works, your money may be better spent elsewhere.
Elderberry
Another cold remedy is elderberry. There may be a reason to believe that elderberry extract could ease cold and flu symptoms.
In two studies, people with early flu symptoms who took an elderberry extract were more likely to have improvement or resolution of their symptoms within a few days compared to those who took a placebo.