Reducing your risk of catching a cold

Block that Cold!

Your chance of catching a common cold this season is far greater than any chance of being infected with the bird flu (unless you happen to live in Asia and raise chickens for a living). So for the moment, let’s put aside those frightening reports about a devastating pandemic and focus on a real world concern: How to reduce your risk of catching a cold.

A new study from Canada reveals that a popular botanical extract may help you get through the cold and flu season with a smaller chance of falling victim to the sniffles, coughs, congestion, etc.

O! Canada!

Can ginseng help prevent or lessen the symptoms of the common cold? That’s the question a joint team from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Alberta set out to answer.

According to the UWO/UA team, ginseng extracts “have been found to have the potential to modulate both natural and acquired immune responses.” To test this potential against the common cold, researchers recruited nearly 280 subjects between the ages of 18 and 65. To qualify for the study, subjects had to confirm that they’d had at least two colds in the year before the trial began. Subjects were divided into two groups: 130 received 200 mg of ginseng extract two times each day, and 148 received placebo.

At the conclusion of the four-month trial (which started at the beginning of flu and cold season), 10 percent of the ginseng group reported two or more colds. That percentage was more than doubled in the placebo group.

Two other key results:

• Average number of days in which cold symptoms were reported was less than 11 in the ginseng group, but more than 16 in the placebo group
• Using a four-point scale to score symptoms, those in the ginseng group had a significantly lower overall score compared to the placebo group

Home Grown

There are three types of ginseng: oriental ginseng (cultivated in China and Korea), Siberian ginseng and North American ginseng. A standardized extract of the latter ginseng type was used in the Canadian study. And in the interest of full disclosure it should be noted that the extract used was a supplement called Cold-fX, produced by CV Technologies, a company that’s associated with the University of Alberta.

But this isn’t the first trial to demonstrate ginseng’s benefits against seasonal viral infections.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society last year, researchers enrolled nearly 200 elderly subjects to receive either 200 mg of North American ginseng extract or a placebo twice each day during flu season. At the end of the season, researchers found the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza to be considerably higher in the placebo group than among those treated with ginseng. They also noted that the treatment was well tolerated.

Native Americans commonly used North American ginseng to reduce fevers and boost immune function and energy. This ginseng variety may also be helpful in relieving hot flashes in menopausal women.

Sources:
“Efficacy of an Extract of North American Ginseng Containing Poly-Furanosyl-Pyranosyl-Saccharides for Preventing Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A Randomized Controlled Trial” Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 173, No. 9, 10/25/05, cmaj.ca
“Ginseng Extract Prevents Colds, Reduces Symptoms, Finds New Study” NutraIngredients, 10/25/05, nutraingredients.com
“A Placebo-Controlled Trial of a Proprietary Extract of North American Ginseng (CVT-E002) to Prevent Acute Respiratory Illness in Institutionalized Older Adults” Journal of the American Geriatric Society, Vol. 52, No. 5, May 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov