Elderberry
The most commonly studied are the supplements from the flowers and berries from the plant Sambucus nigra, commonly known as European elder.
I think I first heard about this supplement from my dentist. I bought some of the syrup to try for myself, thinking I was going to take it daily to prevent getting sick. Well I bought the syrup, instead of the gummies, and instead of mixing it in water, I take it to the head. It tastes like really concentrated prune juice—so daily dosing is a no for me.
I decided to take it at first sign of cold symptoms, when I could tell I was feeling run down, and I noticed, I didn’t really progress to the severe symptoms of day 3-4 if I was able to catch it early. I didn’t want to tell my patients about it yet—I mean, I try to only really speak on things as “Dr. Sims” that I can put some evidence behind. But this was AMAZING!
I did a few colds without it and—nope, it definitely worked—cuz those colds without it were awful.
And finally, I had had enough colds prevented that I felt comfortable giving the “Dr. Sims” subjective stamp of approval. But then, I looked it up. And turns out, there’s some evidence showing that my subjective findings, may not be subjective after all (YAY!!!).
This article from Cleveland Clinic highlights some studies that show that it may just boost our immunity.
This article showed that it shortened cold duration in air travelers, and this one further supports findings that it may have anti-flu activity (NOT a good reason to skip the vaccine though!).
Considerations: If buying elderberry syrup from your neighbor or friend who makes it, please be aware that consuming undercooked or under-ripe berries can result in cyanide toxicity if done in excess. This is also true for the other parts of the plant. Please consume supplements responsibly, and under the counsel of your physician.
Vitamin C and Zinc
Vitamin C and Zinc are well established for immune support. Important points to make:
- They are best used to shorten the course of a viral illness, and not in prevention. The best prevention is hand hygiene and a healthy lifestyle (fruits, veggies, whole grains in diet, exercise, good sleep). The evidence for zinc is stronger than that for Vitamin C.
- Zinc is best in lozenge form and slowly sucked. This allows it to have prolonged contact with the oropharynx, which is where the virus is multiplying.
- Zinc can cause nausea—you will want to have had something to eat prior to having your zinc supplement.
- The dosing and delivery of these is unclear. I generally dose a zinc lozenge at least twice daily and up to 3 times daily with meals, and double the supplemental dose of Vitamin C. You should discuss recommendations with your physician.
References for Vitamin C and Zinc:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3273967/pdf/JFP-60-669.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5418896/pdf/10.1177_2054270417694291.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23440782/?i=5&from=/19432914/related
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19432914/
Garlic
This article highlighting the benefits of garlic shows that garlic not only may help shorten the life of your viral illness, but also may be useful in helping prevent it. Main downside here is that many people find the quantities needed for efficacy very difficult to tolerate.