Condition
Common cold
A mild, self-limiting viral infection of the nose and throat.
See a clinician
Some causes of common cold need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:
- Difficulty breathing, chest pain, or wheeze
- High or prolonged fever, symptoms worsening after initial improvement, or lasting beyond ~10 days
- Stiff neck or confusion
What may help
Remedies studied for common cold, ranked by strength of evidence.
- B Andrographis herb
Reduces cold and sore-throat symptom severity and duration versus placebo across systematic reviews, though the underlying trials are of low quality.
- B Honey supplement
Reduces nighttime cough and improves sleep in children with a cold; likely better than some OTC cough medicines.
- B Probiotics supplement
A 2022 Cochrane review found probiotics reduce the chance of catching an upper respiratory infection (RR 0.76) and cut antibiotic use, though certainty is low-to-moderate and no specific strain can be recommended.
- B Vitamin D nutrient
Daily or weekly vitamin D modestly cuts the odds of acute respiratory infections (aOR 0.88), with the largest benefit in deficient people; large bolus doses do not help.
- B
- C Echinacea herb
Does not reliably prevent or treat colds; any effect is small and preparation-dependent.
- C Elderberry herb
Small trials suggest elderberry shortens cold symptom duration (roughly halved in air travellers), but the evidence base is small and partly industry-linked, and a later influenza RCT found no benefit.
- C Vitamin C nutrient
Does not prevent colds in the general population; regular intake shortens duration by ~8%.
- — Garlic herb
Cochrane found only a single eligible trial; despite a striking result (24 vs 65 colds), the evidence is insufficient to recommend garlic for preventing colds.
Colds resolve on their own. Early high-dose zinc lozenges can shorten them; honey helps children’s cough. Vitamin C does not prevent colds, and echinacea’s evidence is weak.