My mom swears by an OTC drug marketed under the name “Cold FX.” It’s advertised as being able to prevent a nascent cold from developing into something worse. Of course, this is sort of unprovable on such a small scale (our family). It claims to be an extract from North American ginseng . I must admit that I don’t understand enough about biology or medicine to decide whether or not it could work. Thus, I turn to you.
Is Cold FX anything more than a placebo?
astro
November 16, 2005, 5:19pm
2
Cold FX faq
Ingredients: What is COLD-fX®?
COld FX Study
Ginseng-loaded ‘Cold-fX’ cuts frequency of common cold: study
It’s not a cure for the common cold, but a Canadian company claims taking two pills throughout the winter can reduce the number and severity of colds.
In today’s issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Gerry Predy of Capital Health in Edmonton and Dr. Tapan Basu of the University of Alberta report on a study of 279 adults with a history of at least two upper respiratory infections in the previous year.
Participants were given either Cold-fX or a placebo during winter 2003-2004. They were graded based on the severity and duration of symptoms reported. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who took the real pills.
The percentage of people who got colds during the four-month trial were:
Placebo group: 63.8 per cent.
Answers About Home Remedies for Cold and Flu