Many view zinc as the golden cure for the common cold, but its easy to get caught up in the hype and forget to look up the information on many nutritional remedies to see if they really do all they are said to, especially when your suffering from a cold and want relief fast.

It looks like zinc really is all it’s suggested to be, at least for colds. Zinc has been found to cut the durations of colds in half in several recent studies. In one study researchers at Wayne State University gave fifty lozenges each to forty eight staff and employees who’d had cold symptoms for twenty four hours or less. These lozenges were either a placebo or contained twelve and a half milligrams of zinc acetate, neither those handing the lozenges out nor the volunteers knew which was which. They were told to take one lozenge every three hours while they experienced symptoms and of course while they were awake.

At the end of the study they found that those taking the zinc lozenges had a cold for an average of four and one half days, while the placebo group had a cold for an average of eight point one days. And this study also found that recipients of zinc on average coughed for three days while the placebo group coughed an average of six days. Those participating in this study ended up taking eighty milligrams of zinc a day, which is five times the recommended amount! Suffice it to say don’t take a dosage this high on a regular basis, you will experience overdose symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and it will inhibit your body’s ability to absorb copper which can lead to anemia.

Zinc lozenges in particular have been recommended for those looking to fight the common cold. The lozenge dissolves slowly in your mouth and trickles down your throat. Firstly the common cold is usually a head cold and the mucosa membranes are the tissue most likely to be infected, sucking on a zinc lozenge allows the zinc to stay where it’s needed to fight those cold causing cytokines. Secondly, the membranes are thin and have a large number of capillaries which allows for best absorption of the zinc as it dissolves.

Here are some tips for making your zinc lozenge work better for you. Place the lozenge under your tongue, remember don’t chew it because it will end up in your stomach not stay where it’s needed. Also take zinc right before bedtime. Obviously don’t fall asleep with it in your mouth. Zinc is thought to move through the body via the lymphatic system and once you fall asleep your lymph system stops so the zinc will stay in contact with the infected mucus membranes all night. You may wake up with the sensation of being dried out; this is just due to the other astringency and anti-inflammatory properties of zinc.

The daily recommended amount of zinc for adults is fifteen milligrams a day. If you are pregnant or lactating or if you have a specific medical condition you will need to take a higher dosage of zinc.