# Zinc and the Common Cold **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 9, 2000, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zinc-and-the-common-cold/6981 "2000-02-09T17:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KenP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@KenP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KenP)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zinc-and-the-common-cold/6981/1 "2000-02-09T17:40:00Z")
What’s the latest on zinc as a treatment for the symptoms of the common cold? Does it really help? Also, most or all cold medicines with zinc in their name seem to be homeopathic, which I think means they don’t actually contain zinc. If zinc does help, are there any non-homeopathic sources, or should I just buy a bottle of zinc tablets? ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zinc-and-the-common-cold/6981/2 "2000-02-10T06:10:00Z")
Here is a site with links to the various reports and studies. It looks like most of them are at least a year old though. [http://coldcure.com/html/science.html](http://coldcure.com/html/science.html) ---
**Author:** ![CatInHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@CatInHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatInHat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zinc-and-the-common-cold/6981/3 "2000-02-10T06:21:00Z")
Cecil wrote a [column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/980206.html) about this. A recent Mailbag item about [the Nocebo effect](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mnocebo.html) also discussed it. There’s a [thread](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000248.html) over in Comments on Mailbag Answers discussing it. Last I heard, though, they’re ineffective. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zinc-and-the-common-cold/6981/4 "2000-02-09T19:18:00Z")
Perhaps if you think something will work, it really will. I felt a cold coming on a couple years ago, sore throat and runny nose starting out of the blue - drove directly to the drugstore, spent $15 hard-earned on zinc and also echinacea, took both right there in the store. Still got the cold, but it didn’t last very long, no sinusitis followed. Now that I heard “natural cures” don’t really work, I guess I’ll be really sick with colds from now on… ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zinc-and-the-common-cold/6981/5 "2000-02-10T17:14:00Z")
No virus lasts the same length of time. So, maybe you got a three day one? Zinc is a metal, it may indeed have some positive benefits but chicken soup works better.