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Research · Systematic review

Garlic for the common cold

What it found

The single eligible trial reported far fewer colds with garlic (24 vs 65) — but Cochrane judged the evidence insufficient, resting on one self-reported, high-risk-of-bias study.

Design
Systematic review
Year
2014
Sample size
146
Population
adults (only one eligible RCT, 146 participants)
Intervention
garlic supplement (180 mg allicin/day) for 12 weeks vs placebo
Outcome
number of colds, illness days, recovery time
Journal
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Citation last checked 2026-06-21.