Cold-FX Claims to be Only Proven Cold Fighter. Fact Check!

Last night, while watching television, we saw a commercial for Cold-FX. The commercial claimed that Cold-FX is the only natural product clinically proven to boost immunity, reducing the frequency, severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms. Fact check: FALSE! . . .

Cold-FX is an extract of the roots of North American ginseng that is 80-90% saccharides. It does not contain the ginsenosides found in most traditional ginseng extracts.

The problem with Cold-FX’s claim is not necessarily with the claim it makes for itself. The commercial fails the fact check for the claim it makes for others. There are several natural health products that have been clinically proven to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of colds.

Natural Products Combined with Flu Vaccines
Health Canada allows Cold-FX to state that it is clinically proven to reduce cold and flu symptoms when combined with the flu vaccine. At least two of Cold-FX’s clinical studies do compare taking the flu vaccine plus Cold-FX to taking the flu vaccine plus placebo. And the studies found some benefit.

But greater benefit has been found for a more traditional ginseng extract. In a double-blind study, 227 people were given either a placebo or 100mg of standardized ginseng extract for 12 weeks. On the fourth week, they were given a flu vaccination. Between weeks 4 and 12, there were 42 cases of cold or flu in the vaccine + placebo group, but only 15 cases in the ginseng + placebo group: a highly significant difference. Immune measures improved significantly more in the ginseng group (Drugs Exp Clin Res 1996;22:65-72).

And in a pilot study of echinacea and the flu vaccine, researchers gave 38 people either the flu vaccine, echinacea or both. All of the people in the study had respiratory disorders (bronchitis, respiratory insufficiency or asthma). 35.7% of the flu vaccine group got sick, while only 16.6% of the echinacea group got sick. 8.3% got sick in the group that got both (Altern Med Rev 2012;17:36-41).

The King of Clinical Cold Studies
Two very important studies on echinacea were published recently. The first is a meta-analysis of 6 high quality, placebo-controlled, long term studies of echinacea on respiratory tract infection recurrence and complication (including pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infection, sinusitis). Using echinacea reduced the risk of recurrence by a significant 35%. In people with higher susceptibility due to stress or weakened immunity, the reduction was an even more impressive 50%. Using echinacea reduced the risk of complications by 50%, including 64.9% reduction of risk of pneumonia, ear infection and tonsillitis (Adv Ther 2015;32:187-200).

The second was a double-blind study that compared Tamiflu, the leading flu drug, to a blend of Echinacea purpurea and elderberry. By day 5, the herbs were already slightly more effective; by day 10, 90.1% of the herb group had recovered versus 84.8% of the drug group. There were less complications and side effects in the herb group (Curr Ther Res 2015;doi:10.1016/j.curtheres.2015.04.001).

Several other studies have demonstrated echinacea’s effectiveness. When researchers included only double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of the highest quality, they found that you have a 55% greater chance of catching a cold when you take a placebo than when you take echinacea (Clin Ther 2006;28:174-83). A meta-analysis of 14 studies concluded that echinacea lowers the number of colds by 65% compared to a placebo (Lancet Infect Dis 2007;7:473-80).

In a huge double-blind study, 673 healthy people were given either echinacea or a placebo for 4. The people on the echinacea had significantly fewer colds and cold symptoms, showing that echinacea both prevents and treats the cold. The echinacea group caught 149 colds that lasted a total of 672 days; the placebo group caught 188 colds that lasted 850 days. The echinacea group also had significantly less recurrence of colds: 65 compared to 100 in the placebo group (Evid Based Complement Altern Med 2012;2012:841315).

If you do catch a cold, echinacea helps you get better faster: symptoms improve by day 4 instead of taking twice as long on a placebo (Eur J Clin Res 1997). Echinacea also reduces the symptoms that you will suffer from due to significant increase in immune cells (J Clin Pharm Ther 2004;29:75-83; Phytother Res 2005;19:689-94).

Elderberry
Several placebo-controlled studies show that elderberry helps you recover from the cold in only 2-3 days compared to 7-8 days on a placebo (J Altern Comp Med 1995;1:361-9; J International Med Res 2004;32:132-40). A placebo-controlled study found that elderberry relieved fever, headache, congestion and cough in only 2 days. The researchers concluded that elderberry was fast, effective and as good as or better than antiviral drugs for the flu (Online Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics 2009;5:32-43).

Andrographis
This still little known herb has been shown in placebo-controlled research to improve cold symptoms very fast (Phytomed 1999;6:217-23; Phytother Res 1995;9:559-62; Phytomed 1996;3:315-18; Phytomed 2010). Andrographis also prevents colds: when 107 children took either andrographis or a placebo for 3 winter months, the ones on the herb had a 2.1 lower risk of catching a cold (Phytomed 1997;4:101-04). The combination of andrographis and eleuthero outperforms a placebo in the treatment of colds, sinusitis, laryngitis and bronchitis (Phytomed 2002; 9:598-605).

Vitamin C
Double-blind research shows that, compared to a placebo, vitamin C reduces the length of a cold by 59%. The study compared just 1g of vitamin C to a placebo every day for 8 weeks. In the vitamin C group, there was a 45% reduction in the risk of getting a cold and a 59% reduction in duration if you did get one (Nutrients 2014;6:2572-83). That means that vitamin C both prevents and treats colds.

Another study found that just 500mg a day of vitamin C makes you 70% less likely to catch a cold than if you were taking a placebo dose of 50mg (Eur J Clin Nutr 2005;60:9-17). A review of twenty-one studies that used 1-8g of vitamin C found that, in each of them, vitamin C reduced the length and severity of colds by 23% (Scand J Infect Dis 1994;26:1-6). Taking at least 2g a day works even better (Med Hypotheses 1999;52:171-8).

Zinc Lozenges
Several studies show that taking 13-23mg of zinc lozenges every 2 waking hours can fight off a cold in about 4 days compared to 7-11 days with a placebo (Antimicrobial Agents Chemother 1984; 25:20-24; Ann Intern Med 1996;125:81-8; Ann Intern Med 2000;133:245-52; J Infect Dis 2008). A review of the research found that when at least 75mg of zinc lozenges was used in a day, people got 42% fewer colds and their colds lasted 20% less time (Open Respir Med J 2011;184:E551-61).

Probiotics
Research has shown that probiotics help fight colds (Adv Ther Respir Dis 2010;4:271-8). Placebo-controlled research has shown that probiotics significantly reduce the severity and duration of respiratory infections (Eur J Clin Nutr 2015;doi:10.1038/ejcn.2015.171) as well as offering significant protection against cold and flu (Br J Nutr 2015;113:426-34).

Several other natural supplements have also been clinically proven to fight cold and flu.

● Garlic (Adv Ther 2001; 18:189-93)

● Vitamin D (Am J Clin Nutr 2009)

● Echinacea/Wild Indigo/Thuja (Zeutschrift fur Allgemeinmedizin 1981;57:2272-75; Arztl Prax 1984;35:97-98; Notebene Medici 1990;20:362-66; Current Med Res Opinion 1999;15:214-27)

For more on fighting cold and flu naturally, see our book, The Family Naturopathic Encyclopedia.

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