Natural products with immune-boosting herbs, vitamins, minerals and probiotics are available to the many consumers who are looking for natural treatments to help prevent and reduce their cold and flu symptoms year round. Rich Mueller, CEO, Biothera, noticed a greater emphasis on products with clinically proven ingredients. “There has been some backlash on unsubstantiated products, which have been hit hard by lawsuits or regulatory action,” he said. “Credible clinical research is king.”
When it comes to herbs, the old standbys for immune products are Echinacea and elderberry. Echinacea was shown to cut the chances of catching a cold by more than half and shorten the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days;1 and to alleviate cold and flu symptoms, and possibly other respiratory disorders, by inhibiting viral growth and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines.2 However, another study found Echinacea had no significant effects on whether volunteers became infected with the cold virus, or on the severity and duration of symptoms among those who developed colds.3 That said, critics of this study believe the dose of E. angustifolia, the part of the Echinacea plant that was studied, was too low.
Elderberry, or Sambucus, in an oral syrup, was shown to offer relief from influenza A and B infections on an average of four days earlier than for those who took a placebo.4 In another study, 93.3 percent of those taking an elderberry product had significant improvement of symptoms within two days, including fever.5 Complete cure was seen within two to three days in almost 90 percent of the elderberry group, but took six days in the placebo group.
Andrographis is a bitter herb that comes from tropical countries, and is extremely popular throughout Southeast Asia, China and India for treating fevers and viral infections. In one 2007 study, after four days, the group of volunteers treated with acetaminophen and andrographis extract had significantly lower symptoms of cough, fatigue and other symptoms than the group receiving just acetaminophen.6