Grandma's chicken soup, echinacea, elderberry... We all have tricks we swear ward off the cold or flu.
But do they really work? We reached out to the experts to VERIFY.
Zinc
Vitamin C
Echinacea
Some stores even sell a cocktail of herbal remedies they promise will keep the cold and flu at bay. So, we asked the experts.
FLU GUIDE | What you need to know about the 2018 flu season
"Taking zinc everyday as a supplement probably isn't the best approach for reducing the frequency of colds. The evidence for using it to profulac or prevent colds is not very strong," Pharmacist Chris Smith said.
11Alive Medical Correspondent Dr. Sujatha Reddy went LIVE from the 11Alive Facebook page to answer your flu questions. The herbal remedies question was one of them.
She said there are no studies showing herbal remedies keep the cold and flu away. But said if taking a vitamin or herbal supplement makes you feel good, go for it.
So, can herbal remedies ward off the cold or flu?
We verified and found this FALSE.
There just isn't any concrete evidence that herbal remedies help.
SOURCE
Pharmacist Chris Smith
Dr. Sujatha Reddy
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