Elderberry + Zinc combo

Tier 2 — promising · Cold/Flu · Immunity

Combines two ingredients with individual evidence for shortening colds. Elderberry reduces cold duration by 2 to 4 days and zinc lozenges shorten colds by about 2 days when started early. The combination is popular in cold and flu products, though no trials have tested whether the pair works better than either ingredient alone. Both are well tolerated.

Dose: 15 mL elderberry syrup + 15–30 mg zinc per day at first signs of illness for 3–5 days