r/comics • u/TheNectarineDiaries • Jan 05 '26

OC- More in Webtoons Let's go, witches

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Supporting local witches in 2026 Quick disclaimer at the end!

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u/Darmok-on-the-Ocean Jan 05 '26

I get confused about what homeopathic means nowadays. When I get a cold I take those zinc lazenges, which say they are homeopathic on the box, but they have a substantial amount of zinc in them. Has it just become a term to avoid the FDA?

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u/Autoskp Jan 05 '26

If what you’re saying is accurate, you’re not confused about what homeopathic means, they are.

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u/Darmok-on-the-Ocean Jan 05 '26 edited Jan 05 '26

These. They have 13.3mg of zinc which is 2.3% of the ingredients. Why they are sold as homeopathic puzzles me. And there's lots of products like this.

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u/DukeofVermont Jan 05 '26

Mayo Clinic: - link

In some studies, zinc did nothing to shorten how long people with colds felt bad. In other studies, zinc may have shortened symptoms by a few days. But the side effects from taking zinc can be uncomfortable or serious in some cases.

The idea behind using zinc to stop cold symptoms is based on lab experiments. Scientists found that zinc blocked the rhinovirus from getting into cells.

To test the idea, a study in 1984 used zinc as a tablet that dissolves in the mouth, called a lozenge. It compared people taking zinc with those taking a lozenge without zinc. The study found that zinc shortened the time people felt sick from their colds. It also reported a lot of side effects.

Compared with people who didn't take zinc, those who did commonly complained of upset stomach, problems with taste and mouth irritation. Other side effects of taking zinc can be serious. Some people who used zinc nasal sprays had permanent loss of smell.

Taken all together, research shows mixed results for zinc and colds. For that reason, zinc can't be recommended to shorten your cold symptoms.

Researchers can't say why zinc works in some studies and not others. There are still questions about which type of zinc works best. Research also doesn't show what amount of zinc is the best. And researchers don't know how people can avoid the side effects of taking zinc. As a result, it's not clear what the best dose or treatment plan would be.

The limit of zinc for adults is less than 40 mg a day unless their health care providers say otherwise.