FEATURE STORY
Cold & Flu Season Is Upon Us

IN THE NEWS
Zinc Fights Infections in Seniors

CHECKLIST
Useful Herbs & Supplements

COOKING CORNER
Curried Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

VITAMINS & HERBS
Vitamin C Will See You Through

HERBAL REMEDIES
Garlic Breath Is Worth It

EVERYDAY ANSWERS
Does Cold Medicine Have to Taste Horrible?

More Health Info & Answers

Dietary and herbal supplements can avert a cold or hurry it along its way
Cold and Flu Season Is Upon Us

It’s winter so it seems like everyone around you is coughing, aching, and sneezing. Take a few simple actions to protect yourself and knock out this season’s cold. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful:

• Be sure to rest. Give your body some down time to help it fight off the cold.
  
• Drink those fluids. Get plenty of water and other clear fluids to help thin mucus.
  Take extra vitamin C. Studies have shown 1 to 4 grams a day may make your cold shorter and less severe.
  
• Shorten sick time with echinacea. At the first signs of a cold, take 3 to 5 ml of this herb as a juice or tincture every two hours to make your cold less severe.
  
• Use zinc lozenges. Use lozenges containing zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate-glycine, or zinc acetate, providing 13 to 25 mg every two hours, to help stop the virus and shorten the illness.

What are the symptoms?
The common cold often causes runny nose, sore throat, and malaise (vague discomfort). Sore throat is sometimes a symptom of a more serious condition distinct from the common cold, such as strep throat, which may require medical diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antibiotics. Since it is a viral infection, antibiotics are not effective against the common cold.

Dietary changes that may be helpful
Excessive sugar, dietary fat, and alcohol have been reported to impair immune function, although no specific information is available on how these foods may affect the course of the common cold.

Other therapies
A warm, humid environment created by a humidifier may provide comfort during the common cold. Rest is recommended, especially for people with severe symptoms. Increased fluid intake is necessary in order to maintain water balance and to thin secretions.

Vitamins that may be helpful
A review of 21 controlled trials using 1 to 8 grams of vitamin C per day found that “in each of the 21 studies, vitamin C reduced the duration of episodes and the severity of the symptoms of the common cold by an average of 23%.” The optimum amount of vitamin C to take for cold treatment remains in debate but may be as high as 1 to 3 grams per day, considerably more than the 120 to 200 mg per day that has been suggested as optimal intake for healthy adults. A review of 23 controlled trials found that vitamin C supplementation produces a greater benefit for children than for adults.

Zinc interferes with viral replication in test tubes, may interfere with the ability of viruses to enter cells of the body, may help immune cells to fight a cold, and may relieve cold symptoms when taken as a supplement. In double-blind trials, zinc lozenges have reduced the duration of colds in adults but have been ineffective in children. Lozenges containing zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate-glycine, and, in most trials, zinc acetate have been effective. For the alleviation of cold symptoms, lozenges providing 13 to 25 mg of zinc (as zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate-glycine, or zinc acetate) are used every two hours while awake but only for several days. The best effect is obtained when lozenges are used at the first sign of a cold.

Zinc nasal sprays may be even more effective than zinc lozenges at speeding the resolution of cold symptoms. A double-blind trial showed a 74% reduction in symptom duration in people using a zinc nasal spray four times daily, compared with the 42 to 53% reduction reported in trials using zinc gluconate or zinc acetate lozenges. The beneficial effect of zinc nasal sprays should be weighed against a potentially serious side effect. At least ten cases have been reported of people with previously normal sense of smell who experienced severe or complete loss of smell function after using intranasal zinc gluconate.

In a double-blind study of children, oral zinc supplementation significantly reduced both the incidence (by 29%) and the duration (by 11%) of the common cold. The amount of zinc used in this seven-month study was 15 mg per day for children with an average age of 5.6 years. The amount of supplemental zinc was doubled at the onset of a cold, and this higher amount was continued until symptoms resolved.

Propolis is the resinous substance collected by bees from the leaf buds and bark of trees. Propolis extracts may be helpful in preventing and shortening the duration of the common cold. Most manufacturers recommend 500 mg of oral propolis products once or twice daily.

Herbs that may be helpful
Double-blind trials have shown that various echinacea extracts shorten the duration of the common cold. Fresh pressed juice of echinacea (E. purpurea) flowers preserved with alcohol, and tinctures of echinacea (E. pallida) root are the forms most commonly studied and proven effective. The minimum effective amount of echinacea tincture or juice appears to be 3 ml three times per day. Higher amounts, such as 3 to 5 ml every two hours, is generally better and is safe, even for children. Encapsulated products may also be effective. Generally, capsules containing 300 to 600 mg are used three times per day. Double-blind trials indicate that regular use of echinacea to prevent colds does not work. Therefore, it is currently recommended to use echinacea at the onset of a cold, for a total of seven to ten days.

Andrographis contains bitter constituents that are believed to have immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory actions. Several double-blind trials have found that andrographis may help reduce symptom severity in people with common colds. A combination of a standardized andrographis extract combined with eleuthero, known as Kan jang, has also been shown in a double-blind trial to reduce symptoms of the common cold.

In a double-blind study, supplementation with American ginseng significantly reduced the number of colds that people experienced over a four-month period, compared with a placebo. The amount used in this study was 400 mg per day of a freeze-dried extract.

In a double-blind trial, participants took one capsule per day of a placebo or a garlic supplement (the amount of garlic per capsule was not specified) for 12 weeks. During that time, the garlic group had 63% fewer colds and 70% fewer days ill than did the placebo group.

Geranium (Pelargonium sidoides) is an herbal remedy used for the treatment of respiratory tract and ear, nose, and throat infections.

Adaptogens, which include eleuthero, Asian ginseng, astragalus, and schisandra, are thought to help keep various body systems—including the immune system—functioning optimally.

Elderberry has shown antiviral activity and thus may be useful for some people with common colds. Elder flowers are a traditional diaphoretic remedy for helping to break fevers and promote sweating during a cold. Horseradish has antibiotic properties, which may account for its usefulness in easing throat and upper respiratory tract infections. The resin of the herb myrrh has been shown to kill various microbes and to stimulate macrophages (a type of white blood cell). Usnea has a traditional reputation as an antiseptic and is sometimes used for people with common colds.

Herbs high in mucilage, such as slippery elm, mallow (Malvia sylvestris), and marshmallow, are often helpful for symptomatic relief of coughs and irritated throats. Mullein has expectorant and demulcent properties, which accounts for this herb’s historical use as a remedy for the respiratory tract, particularly in cases of irritating coughs with bronchial congestion.

Red raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry leaves contain astringent tannins that are helpful for soothing sore throats. Sage tea may be gargled to soothe a sore throat.

Eucalyptus oil is often used in a steam inhalation to help clear nasal and sinus congestion. Peppermint may have a similar action and is a source of small amounts of menthol.

Meadowsweet has been used historically for a wide variety of conditions. It is reputed to break fevers and to promote sweating during a cold or flu and to relieve aches and pains during a cold.

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