Okay, you’re hacking and sneezing and you need relief. But if the contents of your medicine cabinet are starting to rival Nicole Richie’s, it’s time to clean house. To start, toss anything past its expiration date and anything that is leaking. As for prescriptions, trash anything your name’s not on (and yes, that means your old roommate’s Oxycontin prescription). Then, stock your cabinet with the following five essentials. But read the fine print first, or else you could end up with unwanted ingredients and excessive doses of vitamins and minerals.
Echinacea
Echinacea is the most commonly used herbal supplement in the U.S., according to a study conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, but research has debunked the plant’s miracle-working reputation: “There is no good evidence that echinacea prevents cold or flu,” says William Boggs, M.D., director of integrative medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. “It can, however, reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms if taken early, like the first onset of symptoms.” In terms of effectiveness, the type and quality of plant matters (look for echinacea purpurea). Also, a good test: If you place the tea leaves or capsule contents directly on your tongue, it should tingle.
The Fine Print: Don’t take echinacea for longer than 8 consecutive weeks in hopes of avoiding a cold because a: it won’t work, and b: it can actually weaken your immune system. People allergic to ragweed should not use echinacea, as both plants are from the same family, and an allergic reaction will make your symptoms worse, Dr. Boggs says. Also, since this herb stimulates the immune system, avoid it if you are taking immunosuppressants (if you’re not sure, then you’re probably not on them).
Pain Relievers
Many cold meds contain acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin—the common ingredients found in pain relievers like Tylenol, Aleve, and Advil. These anti-inflammatories can help ease that icky sick feeling, but they have no healing properties. They can also be used to help break a fever, but a fever is actually your body’s best defense against the flu, so don’t rush to cool your head before seeing a doctor.
The Fine Print: “More than 4 to 6 grams of acetaminophen a day can cause liver damage, and ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin can cause kidney damage, stomach bleeding, or ulcers,” warns Lisa Corbin, M.D., medical director of The Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital and Health Sciences Center in Aurora, Colorado. So steer clear of pain relievers while on anti-inflammatory-spiked cold meds, and avoid alcohol. Also, do not pop a Tylenol before you get a flu shot; a recent study shows anti-inflammatories reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.
“Super” Supplements
Cold busters like Airborne offer a super dose of vitamins A, C, E, and zinc, along with herbal extracts such as echinacea, so they save you the trouble of popping five different pills. “Taking 1 or 2 grams of Vitamin C per day at the beginning of a cold can reduce cold duration by half a day. Taking 15 to 20 mg of zinc per day can also help shorten the duration of a cold,” Dr. Boggs says. Given those benchmarks, taking two Airborne per day at the onset of symptoms could help shorten your cold, but it won’t prevent it.
The Fine Print: Vitamin super supplements often offer too much of a good thing. If you take Airborne as directed—every 3 or 4 hours or as needed—you will exceed your body’s tolerance for Vitamin C and zinc. Too much C can cause kidney stones or heartburn. Excess zinc can result in a copper deficiency and can actually lead to flu-like symptoms like nausea and vomiting.
Antihistamines
Antihistamines aren’t just for springtime. “Allergies can trigger or worsen asthma and other respiratory illnesses especially in the winter, when families spend more time indoors, which increases their exposure to irritants like dust mites, pet dander, smoke, household sprays and chemicals, and gas fumes,” says David J. Resnick, M.D., acting director of the Allergy Division at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian. If your cold-like symptoms include feelings of itchiness, or last longer than 7 or 10 days, allergies might be part of the problem.
The Fine Print: The side effects of antihistamines can be unpredictable—one pill could be sleep-inducing for one person and stimulating for another. And if your runny nose is actually caused by a cold, skip the Claritin. Allergy meds block the release of histamines, and cold symptoms are caused by a virus, not by histamine release.
Cold Medicines
Because colds are viral, antibiotics can’t zap them, so your best bet is to pick up a good old-fashioned over-the-counter medicine to help you battle the symptoms. Browsing the drugstore aisle means decrypting some big words, but it’s worth a vocab lesson to find relief. In the decongestant battle, pseudoephedrine beats the alternative phenylephrine—so bring your driver’s license to the pharmacy (they ID you for the good stuff, as it can also be made into crystal meth). For coughs and sore throats go with a liquid because it will bring relief faster. Dextromethorphan quiets coughs, and guaifenesin clears chest congestions.
The Fine Print: While the ingredients listed above are the real symptom fighters, extras like acetaminophen and alcohol are used to relieve pain or induce sleep. And before drugging up, remember to listen to what your body is telling you when you are sick—while you might just want to stop that runny nose, it’s also part of your body’s attempt at self-healing, so don’t forget classic, natural remedies like chicken soup. “The gelatin in soup broth helps the mucus flow better,” says Tom Cowan, M.D., of the Fourfold Healing Center in San Francisco. Also, try to drink 2 to 4 quarts of liquids a day.
