There is a lot of information, and unfortunately a lot of misinformation, about using natural supplements to boost your immunity. Many supplements have anti-viral properties and are being extensively studied this very moment for their effectiveness in the face of our current pandemic, so I am going to link you directly to these studies so that you can read them for yourself.
I also am giving you direct links to all the current clinical trials registered in the US National Library of Medicine that are being conducted for each supplement.
Here are the top 10 most medically studied immune boosting supplements, in order of most studied to least studied.
Here we go:
The Top 10 Supplements Being Studied
During This Pandemic:
1. Vitamin D
By far the most studied supplement is Vitamin D.
Here’s a list of medical studies that suggest why:
The role of vitamin D in the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 infection and mortality
Vitamin D Concentrations Are Lower in Patients With Positive SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Potential Role of Vitamin D in the Elderly to Resist COVID-19
Evidence That Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of COVID-19 Infections and Deaths
Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections
Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Inflammatory Cytokine Concentrations
There are currently 41 ongoing clinical trials testing
Vitamin D for it’s therapeutic value in covid infection…
… you can take a look at those clinical trials right here.
2. Vitamin C
Coming in as the second most studied supplement is Vitamin C.
Here’s why:
- Intravenous vitamin C for reduction of cytokines storm
- Vitamin C can shorten the length of stay in the ICU
- Effect of Vitamin C Infusion on Organ Failure and Biomarkers of Inflammation and Vascular Injury in Patients With Sepsis and Severe Acute Respiratory Failure
- The effect of Vitamin C on infection of tracheal organ cultures by coronavirus
- Vitamin C intake and susceptibility to pneumonia
- Vitamin C and SARS coronavirus
- Vitamin C and Coronavirus
- Ascorbic Acid and the Immune Response
- High-Dose IV Vitamin C on ARDS by COVID-19
There are now at least 34 ongoing clinical trials looking into
Vitamin C’s role in coronavirus infection…
… you can read those here.
3. Probiotics
Medical research is looking into the possible role of probiotics as well:
- Using Probiotics to Flatten the Curve of Coronavirus Disease COVID-2019 Pandemic
- COVID-19 and the digestive system
- Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections
- Probiotic prophylaxis of ventilator-associated pneumonia
- The small intestine, an underestimated site of SARS-CoV-2 infection: from red queen effect to probiotics
- Probiotics to address Covid19
Right now, there are 10 ongoing clinical trials testing to see if
taking probiotics has a clinical benefit in covid19 patients…
… you can read those here.
4. Zinc
Several medical studies have been published looking at zinc and immune function:
- Antioxidant effect of zinc in humans
- Zinc supplementation decreases incidence of infections in the elderly
- Zinc Inhibits Coronavirus and Arterivirus RNA Polymerase Activity in Vitro
- Does Zinc Supplementation Enhance the Clinical Efficacy of Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine to Win Today’s Battle Against COVID-19?
- Zinc and immune function
There are currently 24 ongoing clinical trials looking at
the efficacy of zinc in covid19 infections…
… you can read those here…
…along with this interesting study being conducted in Australia,
which tests IV zinc for coronavirus treatment.
5. Melatonin
The next most studied supplement is melatonin. Melatonin may play a role in the cytokine storm cascade during viral infection, here are some studies looking into this further:
- Melatonin protects against acute lung injury
- COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment
- Can melatonin reduce the severity of COVID-19 pandemic? (Hint, their answer is YES)
- Melatonin: Roles in influenza, Covidâ€19, and other viral infections
There are now 4 ongoing clinical trails looking at
melatonin supplementation and coronavirus infection…
… you can read about those here.
6. Black Cumin Seed Oil
Here is a lesser known but incredibly interesting supplement that has been shown in several medical studies to decrease viral replication: black cumin seed oil, also known as Nigella sativa.
Here are some new medical studies looking into the antiviral properties of Black Cumin Seed oil:
- The effects of Nigella sativa on the replication of coronavirus
- Identification of Compounds from Nigella Sativa as New Potential Inhibitors of Covid19
- Nigella sativa for promising COVID-19 treatment
There are 3 ongoing clinical trials testing the use of
Nigella sativa against coronavirus infection…
… you can read those here.
7. Quercetin
Quercetin is a sort of “natural antihistamine” that I’ve long recommended to my patients who have seasonal allergies, as it helps decrease reactivity to allergens. So it makes sense that quercetin might play a role in decreasing lung reactivty:
Medical studies looking at quercetin include:
- Quercetin as an Antiviral Agent
- Coronavirus (COVID-19), First Indication of Efficacy of Quercetin in SARS-CoV-2 Infections
- Inhibition of SARS-CoV 3CL protease by flavonoids (quercetin is a type of flavonoid)
Currently there are 2 ongoing clinical trials looking at
quercetin’s role in coronavirus…
…which you can read about right here.
8. Curcumin
Curcumin is one of my favorite anti-inflammatories of all time. So it makes me so happy to see that curcumin is now being investigated as a therapeutic agent to decrease the inflammatory response of the body during viral infection.
Here are some great medical studies you can read:
- Potential effects of curcumin in the treatment of COVID â€19 infection
- Effect of curcumin on circulating interleukin-6 concentrations
- Immunomodulatory Effects of Curcumin
- Curcumin interaction with covid19
- Antiviral potential of curcumin
- A Novel Combination of Vitamin C, Curcumin and Glycyrrhizic Acid Potentially Regulates Immune and Inflammatory Response Associated with Coronavirus Infections
There is only one ongoing clinical trial looking at
a combination treatment (that includes curcumin) to treat covid19…
… you can read that here.
9. Glutathione
Ever since news that this New Yorker seems to have massively improved after taking large does of glutathione during her illness, there have been a lot of talk over glutathione’s role, if any, in preventive care.
Unfortunately, the medical studies on this supplement are slim and there are currently no ongoing clinical trials investigating it’s role in covid19 therapy.
- Efficacy of glutathione therapy in relieving dyspnea associated with COVID-19 pneumonia
- Improvement of acute respiratory distress syndrome through increasing intracellular glutathione
There is one current study looking at the role
of glutathione in Covid severity…
… you can read that here.
10. Echinacea
There are a few medical studies looking at the anti-viral properties of echinacea… but no current clinical trail as of yet. Studies that may interested you include:
- The Pivotal Role of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea in Three Main Immune Interactive Clusters
- In vitro antiviral activity of Echinacea purpurea against highly pathogenic MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV
- Effect of an Echinacea-Based Hot Drink Versus The Prescription Anti-viral drug Oseltamivir
- Echinacea as an antiinflammatory agent
- Echinacea—A Source of Potent Antivirals for Respiratory Virus Infections
No current Covid19 clinical trials.
If you are interested in taking immune boosting supplements this fall and winter as part of your daily wellness plan, I have put a protocol together for you below.
It includes all of my favorites nutrients that I like to the certain to have adequate intake of during the cold and flu season, like Vitamin C, Vitamin D, zinc, quercetin and probiotics.
These are the supplements that I take — and recommend to my loved ones — all found in my online dispensary right here:
