Goal · Colds
Food and colds: honey, zinc, vitamin C and chicken soup
No food stops a cold. Honey has good evidence for easing cough in children over one, and regular vitamin C slightly shortens colds; most other remedies are comfort.
By the editors of Alimentotherapy Last reviewed 3 min read Not medical advice
The short answer
Honey is the best-supported kitchen remedy for cold symptoms: a Cochrane review found it probably eases cough in children better than no treatment or placebo, though it must never be given to babies under oneOduwole 2018; MedlinePlus. Taking vitamin C regularly slightly shortened colds in Cochrane's analysis but did not reduce how often people caught them, and zinc's effects are small and uncertainHemila 2013; Nault 2024.
Foods and herbs for colds, graded
Every claim from our remedy pages that relates to colds, strongest evidence first. Each row links to the full page and its sources.
| Food or herb | Grade | What the research found |
|---|---|---|
| HoneyAcute cough in children aged 1 year and over | Moderate | Six trials (899 children) found honey probably reduces cough frequency more than no treatment or placebo, with a similar effect to dextromethorphan. Most children were treated for one night only. |
| Bone brothComfort and fluids during a cold | Limited | Small lab studies of hot drinks and hot soup show short-lived relief of a blocked nose and a sense of feeling better. This applies to warm broths generally, not bone broth in particular. |
| Chicken soupShort-term relief of a blocked or runny nose | Limited | In 15 healthy volunteers, sipping hot chicken soup raised nasal mucus velocity at five minutes more than hot or cold water; the effect was gone at 30 minutes. Airflow did not change. |
| Chicken soupFeeling better with a cold or flu (hot drinks in general) | Limited | In 30 people with a cold or flu, a hot fruit drink gave immediate and sustained relief of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness, more than the same drink at room temperature. Placebo may explain part of it. |
| EchinaceaLower chance of catching a cold | Limited | None of 12 prevention comparisons was significant on its own; a post hoc pooling suggested a 10 to 20 percent relative risk reduction. NCCIH says echinacea may slightly reduce the chance of catching a cold. |
| ElderberryFlu symptoms | Limited | A small Norwegian trial found symptoms relieved about four days earlier with 15 ml of elderberry syrup four times a day for five days. A 2020 trial of 87 patients with lab-confirmed flu found no benefit on duration or severity. |
| ElderberryCold duration and symptoms | Limited | In a trial of 312 air travelers, elderberry did not significantly reduce the number of colds, but the colds that did occur were shorter and milder than in the placebo group. |
| ElderberryUpper respiratory symptoms in general | Limited | A 2019 meta-analysis reported a large effect, but it pooled only 180 participants from a handful of small trials, and the larger 2020 flu trial was published after it. |
| GarlicFewer or shorter colds | Limited | Cochrane found only one eligible trial (146 people): those taking a daily garlic supplement for 12 weeks reported fewer colds, but recovery time was similar and the reviewers said little can be concluded. |
| HoneyCold symptoms in adults and children (upper respiratory infections) | Limited | A review of 14 studies found honey improved cough frequency and severity compared with usual care, but placebo-controlled data were sparse and the authors called for better trials. |
| EchinaceaShorter colds once you have one | Not supported | Of seven treatment trials reporting cold duration, only one showed a significant benefit over placebo. |
| GingerColds and flu | Not supported | No controlled trials in people show that ginger shortens or eases colds. A hot ginger drink is comforting, which is a fine reason to have one. |
The basics that help most
A cold is caused by one of more than 200 viruses and goes away on its own; antibiotics do not help. MedlinePlus lists the measures that make people feel better while it runs its course: rest, plenty of fluids, a clean humidifier, warm salt-water gargles, saline nose drops and, if needed, over-the-counter pain or cold medicines, read carefully MedlinePlus. Most people feel better within a week or two; contact a provider if breathing becomes difficult or symptoms get worse or have not improved after 7 to 10 days MedlinePlus. Children and teens should not take aspirin, and some cold medicines are not recommended for children MedlinePlus.
Warm drinks and chicken soup fit under "plenty of fluids". The one famous chicken soup study was a lab experiment on white blood cells, not a trial in people with coldsRennard 2000, so enjoy the soup for what it is.
Honey for cough
The 2018 Cochrane review included six randomized trials in 899 children. Honey probably reduced cough frequency more than no treatment or placebo, may work about as well as dextromethorphan, and may work better than diphenhydramine; giving honey for up to three days was probably more effective than placeboOduwole 2018. Details are on the honey page.
Safety
Never give honey to a baby under 12 months. Honey can carry Clostridium spores that cause infant botulism, a serious illness MedlinePlus.
Vitamin C and zinc: small effects
Vitamin C. In the Cochrane review, regular vitamin C did not reduce the risk of catching a cold in the general population (29 trial comparisons, 11,306 people). Taken regularly, it shortened colds by about 8% in adults and 14% in children. Starting it once a cold had begun showed no consistent effectHemila 2013. The exception was people under heavy physical stress, such as marathon runners and soldiers in subarctic exercises, whose risk of a cold roughly halved Hemila 2013. Citrus, peppers, kiwifruit and broccoli are good food sources.
Zinc. Zinc is a supplement, not a food remedy, but it is the most common cold purchase. The 2024 Cochrane review (34 trials, 8,526 people) found zinc may make little or no difference to the chance of catching a cold. Used as treatment, it may shorten a cold by about two days, but that estimate is of low certainty and the trials disagreed sharply, and non-serious side effects were more common with zincNault 2024.
Elderberry, echinacea and garlic are graded in the table on this page.
When to see a clinician, not the pantry
- Any trouble breathing.
- Symptoms that get worse, or do not improve after 7 to 10 days.
- A baby or young child with a cold who seems very unwell: call their provider.
- New or worsening cough, fever or chest symptoms after the cold, since some colds lead on to bronchitis or pneumonia.
Common questions
Does honey help a cough?
Yes, for children over one year old. A 2018 Cochrane review of six trials in 899 children found honey probably reduces cough frequency more than no treatment or placebo and may work about as well as dextromethorphan. Never give honey to babies under 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism.
Does vitamin C stop colds?
Not for most people. A Cochrane review found regular vitamin C did not reduce the risk of catching a cold in the general population, though it shortened colds by about 8% in adults and 14% in children. Starting vitamin C after a cold begins showed no consistent benefit.
Do zinc lozenges shorten colds?
Possibly, but the evidence is weak. The 2024 Cochrane review found zinc used as treatment may shorten a cold by about two days, with low certainty and widely varying trial results, and non-serious side effects were more common. Zinc taken every day to ward off colds made little or no difference.
Sources
Primary research and government sources, each checked on the date this page was reviewed.
- CochraneOduwole O, et al. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018. PMID 29633783.
- CochraneHemilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013. PMID 23440782.
- CochraneNault D, et al. Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024. PMID 38719213.
- PubMedRennard BO, et al. Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Chest. 2000. PMID 11035691.
- MedlinePlusMedlinePlus. Common Cold.
- MedlinePlusMedlinePlus. Common cold - what to do at home.
- MedlinePlusMedlinePlus. Infant botulism.
Keep reading
- RemedyHoneyA spoonful of honey has decent trial support for children's coughs at night. It must never be given to a baby under 12 months because of infant botulism.
- RemedyElderberryA popular syrup with a short, conflicting trial record. Early small studies suggested faster recovery from flu; the most carefully run recent trial found none. Raw berries are toxic until cooked.
- RemedyEchinaceaOne of the most-tested herbs for colds. The trials point to, at best, a small drop in the chance of catching a cold and no clear effect on how long one lasts.
- RemedyChicken soupThe most famous food remedy of all. The studies behind it are small lab experiments, but a hot, salty, savory broth does bring short-term relief and fluids.
- RemedyGarlicGarlic supplements have shown small drops in blood pressure in people with hypertension. The cholesterol and cold evidence is weaker, and supplements can interact with some drugs.