Simple Remedy for the Common Cold?
Reported October 27, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — In the United States, at least 1 billion colds are reported a year. Now, researchers believe a simple herbal remedy can combat the common cold.
Investigators led by Gerald Predy, from Capital Health and the Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science, studied ginseng extract in people with a history of at least two colds in the previous year. Results show people taking the extract were significantly less likely to have two colds during the next cold season than those receiving a placebo for comparison purposes.
The research involved 323 people between ages 18 and 65. All were given two pills a day, containing either ginseng or a placebo, over a four-month period. About 10 percent of the people receiving the ginseng pills reported having two or more colds, compared to 23 percent of those receiving the placebo pills. They also had milder cold symptoms when they did have a cold.
Study authors believe the findings are important because, on average, Americans have between two and six colds a year. If ginseng could reduce those numbers, it could have a significant impact on public health.
Other investigators writing in a commentary, however, say it’s too soon for everyone to start popping ginseng pills, noting it’s difficult to obtain accurate results in studies involving unidentified viral agents.