With reports that supply of the H1N1 influenza vaccine as well as the seasonal flu vaccine are dwindling, more of your shoppers may be turning to natural products to help them boost their immune system this cold and flu season.
While any legitimate natural product manufacture will not say its product cures colds or the flu, an article in the Wall Street Journal looked at different natural remedies that may help the immune system and offered advice on which ones were the best.
They start by discrediting the notion that keeping a raw onion in the house will help keep the flu away. They say no studies have shown raw onions placed in a room will help a human’s immune system. Garlic, on the other hand, has killed viruses, bacteria and fungi in test tubes, but they state few human studies have been conducted. They said hydrogen peroxide also has little evidence behind it to show it reduces colds and the flu, but it is known to be antibacterial and antimicrobial.
They note the homeopathic use of Oscillococcinum has been shown in two studies to help flu sufferers to recover faster versus a placebo. The added benefit of homeopathic remedies, they state, is that they are regulated by FDA, and thus, may be safer than herbal remedies.
In the herbal remedy arena, the article states elderberry may be an immune booster. Patients treated with elderberry extract recovered from influenza A and influenza B faster than those who received placebos in small, randomized trials. They also sighted the New England Journal of Medicine study that found echinacea had no effects on preventing or shortening colds.