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Many complementary health approaches have been studied for the common cold. Those that have shown some promise include oral zinc products, rinsing the nose and sinuses (with a neti pot or other device), honey (as a nighttime cough remedy for children), vitamin C (for people under severe physical stress, probiotics, and meditation.
Complementary approaches for which the evidence is conflicting, inadequate, or mostly negative include vitamin C (for most people), echinacea, garlic, and American ginseng.
An important point about safety: Don’t use tap water as a nasal rinse. People have gotten severe infections this way. Use distilled or sterile water, which you can buy in stores, or water that you’ve boiled for 3 to 5 minutes and cooled.
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