Zicam - Ingredients and Use

Ingredients and Use

The only biologically active ingredients present in Zicam Cold Remedy are slightly diluted zinc acetate (2X = 1/100 dilution) and zinc gluconate (1X = 1/10 dilution); the product's other originally active ingredients have been serially diluted to the point that Zicam should no longer contain any molecules of those ingredients, and are listed as "inactive ingredients" on the label. Zicam is marketed as an "unapproved homeopathic" product; Some of the homeopathic ingredients used in the preparation of Zicam are galphimia glauca, histamine dihydrochloride (homeopathic name, histaminum hydrochloricum), luffa operculata, and sulfur.

Ionic zinc is proposed to interfere with the binding of rhinovirus to its cellular receptor, ICAM-1. Some research suggests that zinc-based remedies may reduce the duration of the common cold and reduce the severity of cold symptoms. Another study indicates that zinc-based remedies can relieve symptoms of hay fever and other upper respiratory allergies.

A 2003 review in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association reported that the majority of studies supported the value of zinc in reducing the duration and severity of symptoms of the common cold when administered within 24 hours of the onset of common cold symptoms.

A systematic review published in 2006 in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that many of the studies of zinc in the common cold suffered from methodologic flaws; restricting the analysis to well designed studies, the authors concluded that the therapeutic effectiveness of zinc lozenges has yet to be established.

A 2011 systematic meta analysis of studies conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration indicates that zinc lozenges definitively shorten the duration and severity of cold symptoms but offers no recommendations as to dosage. Many over the counter zinc medications may be less effective or ineffective because they do not contain the optimum mix of ingredients. The zinc gluconate and zinc acetate salts may be better absorbed by the human body than other zinc salts. This variety of formulations has also been implicated in the prior lack of success in determining the effectiveness of zinc medicines. Methodological weaknesses are also thought to have contributed to the mixed results of previous studies (see below). The 2011 Cochrane review is widely regarded as the most authoritative assessment to date of the effectiveness of zinc as a treatment for the common cold. It is suspected that zinc gluconate lozenges shorten the duration of cold symptoms by reducing inflammatory cytokines.