Get medical help promptly if you have trouble breathing or fast breathing, signs of dehydration, or symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Self-care guide
Common Cold
A common cold is a mild viral infection of the nose and throat that can cause a blocked or runny nose, sore throat, cough, sneezing and tiredness. Most colds improve on their own.
Step 1 · First-line care
What to do first
Rest, drink enough fluids, and use simple measures to ease your symptoms. A cold usually gets better without specific treatment.
Step 2 · Safety
When to get medical help
Contact a clinician if fever lasts more than 4 days, symptoms last more than 10 days without improving, symptoms improve and then return or worsen, or a long-term health condition gets worse.
Extra caution: Get medical advice sooner if you are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from a respiratory infection, or if a long-term health condition gets worse.
Step 3 · Optional ingredient support
For relief now
These options have been reviewed for evidence and key safety concerns.
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Zinc (oral lozenges)
May shorten the duration of a common cold when started soon after symptoms begin.
How it is used: Use an oral zinc product according to its label and start it soon after cold symptoms begin. Do not use zinc products inside the nose.
What does this evidence mean?
A 2024 systematic review found that zinc used to treat a cold may shorten symptoms by about 2 days compared with placebo. However, confidence in the evidence was low because studies used different zinc preparations, doses and methods. It is unclear whether zinc meaningfully reduces symptom severity.
Evidence may apply to one specific form of an ingredient — a capsule, extract, cream, or tea — and to a particular amount. Recipes and everyday foods may not match the form or amount that was studied.
Echinacea
May help with common-cold symptoms, although benefits are uncertain and vary between products.
How it is used: Follow the directions for the specific echinacea product. Different preparations are not interchangeable, and the evidence does not establish one standard dose for treating a common cold.
What does this evidence mean?
Studies of echinacea for the common cold have produced inconsistent results. Some preparations may have small benefits, but it remains unclear whether echinacea reliably shortens an established cold. Products differ by species, plant part and extraction method, so results from one preparation may not apply to another.
Evidence may apply to one specific form of an ingredient — a capsule, extract, cream, or tea — and to a particular amount. Recipes and everyday foods may not match the form or amount that was studied.
Elderberry
Used for relief of cold and other respiratory infection symptoms, but it is uncertain whether it helps.
What does this evidence mean?
A systematic review found only a small number of randomized trials of elderberry for viral respiratory illnesses. Elderberry may reduce the duration or severity of cold symptoms, but the evidence is uncertain and too limited to establish a reliable benefit.
Evidence may apply to one specific form of an ingredient — a capsule, extract, cream, or tea — and to a particular amount. Recipes and everyday foods may not match the form or amount that was studied.
Pelargonium Sidoides
May reduce common-cold symptoms, particularly cough, and help symptoms improve sooner.
How it is used: One common-cold study used a liquid preparation of Pelargonium sidoides root extract (EPs 7630) at 30 drops/1.5 mL three times daily for up to 10 days, while another used 40-mg tablets three times daily.
What does this evidence mean?
Clinical trials of a standardized Pelargonium sidoides root extract (EPs 7630) suggest it can improve common-cold symptoms. A 2023 systematic review found moderate-certainty evidence for symptom improvement, although the evidence applies primarily to this specific extract rather than all Pelargonium products.
Evidence may apply to one specific form of an ingredient — a capsule, extract, cream, or tea — and to a particular amount. Recipes and everyday foods may not match the form or amount that was studied.
For ongoing support
These options are better suited to regular or longer-term use than to quick symptom relief.
No reviewed options in this category yet.