For example, adaptation happens when your eyes adjust from a dark movie theatre during a matinee to the bright sunlight outside. Whether pain receptors truly adapt or rescale their responses (versus simply desensitising) has been an open question.
Scientists had previously linked the analgesic or pain-relieving effects of capsaicin to a lipid called PIP2, found in cell membranes. When capsaicin is applied to the skin it induces a strong depletion of PIP2 in the cell membrane.
“The receptor acts like a gate to the neurons,” said Qin. “When stimulated it opens, letting outside calcium enter the cells until the receptor shuts down, a process called desensitisation.”
“The analgesic action of capsaicin is believed to involve this desensitization process. However, how the entry of calcium leads to the loss of sensitivity of the neurons was not clear,” he said, according to a Buffalo release.
Capsaicin creams are commonly sold over the counter as effective treatment for a variety of pain syndromes, from minor muscle or joint aches to those that are very difficult to treat, such as arthritis and neuropathic pain.
Botanical Name:Piper longum Family: Piperaceae Kingdom: Plantae Order: Piperales Genus: Piper Species: P. longum Common Name:Javanese Long Pepper, Indian Long Pepper, Indonesian Long Pepper.pippali(in Sanskrit) Synonyms:click to see: Parts used: The tiny berries, which merge to a single, rod-like structure which bears some resemblance to catkins (flowers of trees like hazelnut or willow).(fruits and roots are used in Ayurveda)) Habitat:The species Piper longum is of South Asian origin (Deccan peninsular), whereas the closely related Piper retrofractum comes from South East Asia and is mostly cultivated in Indonesia and Thailand. Both species are often not clearly distinguished in the spice trade.
Description:The creeper that spreads on the ground or may take support of other trees. Leaves are 2 to 3 inch long.The older leaves are dentate, dark in color and heart shaped. The younger ones is ovate in shape and contains 5 veins on them. Flowers are monoceous and male and female flowers are borne on different plants. Male flowers stalk is about 1 to 3 inch long and female flowers stalk is 1/2 inch to 1 inch long. Fruit is long. When it ripes it attains red color and when it dries it attains black color. It is 1 inch in diameter. The plant flowers in rains and fruits in every winter.
Acording to Ayurveda it has 4 varities:-
1. Pippali
2. Gaja pippali
3. Saheli
4. Vanapippli
Pepper, Indian Long Pepper or Indonesian Long Pepper, is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. Long pepper is a close relative of the black pepper plant, and has a similar, though generally hotter, taste. The word pepper itself is derived from the Sanskrit word for long pepper, pippali.
The fruit of the pepper consists of many minuscule fruits — each about the size of a poppy seed — embedded in the surface of a flower spike; it closely resembles a hazel tree catkin. The fruits contain the alkaloid piperine, which contributes to their pungency. Another species of long pepper, Piper retrofractum, is native to Java, Indonesia.
Prior to the European discovery of the New World, long pepper was an important and well-known spice. The ancient history of black pepper is often interlinked with (and confused with) that of long pepper. The Romans knew of both and often referred to either as just piper; many ancient botanists erroneously believed dried black pepper and long pepper came from the same plant. Only after the discovery of the New World and of chile peppers did the popularity of long pepper decline. Chile peppers, some of which, when dried, are similar in shape and taste to long pepper, were easier to grow in a variety of locations more convenient to Europe.
Main constituents
In P. retrofractum, piperine, piperlonguminine, sylvatine, guineensine, piperlongumine, filfiline, sitosterol, methyl piperate and a series of piperine-analog retrofractamides are reported. (Phytochemistry, 24, 279, 1985)
On the other hand, long pepper contains less essential oil than its relatives (about 1%), which consists of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and ethers (bisabolene, ?-caryophyllene, ?-caryophyllene oxide, each 10 to 20%; ?-zingiberene, 5%), and, surprisingly, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons: 18% pentadecane, 7% tridecane, 6% heptadecane.
Uses
Today, long pepper is an extremely rare ingredient in European cuisines, but it can still be found in Indian vegetable pickles, some North African spice mixtures, and in Indonesian and Malaysian cooking. It is readily available at Indian grocery stores, where it is usually labeled pipalli.Long pepper, also sometimes called Indian long pepper or piper longum, is a spice used in traditional Indian cooking.1
Although not used as much in modern cooking, long pepper was once used as a measure of currency and was often listed as a ransom.
Medicinal uses :
Pharmacology:
It is pitta suppressant vata and kapha aggravator. It has a strong erge to suppress any kind of infection occurring in the body due to its pungent taste. It helps in en espelling out the mucus that gets accumulated in the respiratory tract and also strengthens the nervous system. It is good digestive agent and help improving the gastrointestinal condition and also normalizes the peristaltic movements. It has a great effect on respiratory tract.
According to Ayurveda it aontains:
*Gunna(properities)-tikshan(sharp), snigdh (slimy) and laghu light
*Rasa (taste)- katu (pungent)
*Virya (potency)-moderate
Coughs, bronchitis, asthma and pain reliever for muscle pain. The flavor is similar to, but hotter, than black pepper.1 Still used in combination with other herbs in Ayurvedic medicine.
Besides fruits the roots and thicker part of the stem is cut and dried to use in various medicinal purpose in Ayurveda and Unani.
The unripe spike of the plant and the root, which is thick and branched, is also medically important and is called modi or pippali-moolam. Long Pepper inhibits the secretion of digestive juice and lowers total stomach acid; it lowers LDL and VLDL and TC; prevents hardening of the arteries; has a calming effect on CNS. Seed used in cough and throat pain. Root used in paralysis, epilepsy, and stiff joints. Both seeds and root are used for cough, rheumatism, leprosy, and consumption. The herb is also believed to improve vitality.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Other Names:
Okra, Okro, Ochro, Okoro, Quimgombo (Cuba), Quingumbo, Ladies Fingers,gombo, quingombo, Gombo, Kopi Arab, Kacang Bendi, Bhindi (S. Asia), Bendi (Malaysia), Bamia, Bamya or Bamieh (middle east), Gumbo (Southern USA), Quiabo, Quiabos (Portugal and Angola), okura (Japan), qiu kui (Taiwan),in India it is bhindi,eastern Mediterranean and Arab countries bamies.
Parts Used: Immature pods
Etymology, origin and distribution
The name “okra” is of West African origin . In various Bantu languages, okra is called “kingombo” or a variant thereof, and this is the origin of its name in Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French. The Arabic “bemyah” is the basis of the names in the Middle East, the Balkans, Turkey, Greece, North Africa and Russia. In Southern Asia, its name is usually a variant of “bhindi” or “vendi.”
The species apparently originated in the Ethiopian Highlands, though the manner of distribution from there is undocumented. The Egyptians and Moors of the 12th and 13th centuries used the Arab word for the plant, suggesting that it had come from the east. The plant may thus have been taken across the Red Sea or the Bab-el-Mandeb strait to the Arabian Peninsula, rather than north across the Sahara. One of the earliest accounts is by a Spanish Moor who visited Egypt in 1216, who described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender, young pods with meal.
From Arabia, the plant spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward. The lack of a word for okra in the ancient languages of India suggests that it arrived there in the Common Era. The plant was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the Atlantic slave trade by 1658, when its presence was recorded in Brazil. It was further documented in Suriname in 1686. Okra may have been introduced to the southeastern North America in the early 18th century and gradually spread. It was being grown as far north as Philadelphia by 1748, while Thomas Jefferson noted that it was well established in Virginia by 1781. It was commonplace throughout the southern United States by 1800 and the first mention of different cultivars was in 1806
Description:
Okra is a member of the Mallow family, related to cotton, hibiscus and hollyhock. It has heart shaped leaves (one species is cultivated for its edible leaves), and large, yellow, hibiscus-like flowers.
The species is an annual or perennial, growing to 2 m tall. The leaves are 10–20 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. The flowers are 4–8 cm diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The fruit is a capsule up to 18 cm long, containing numerous seeds.
It is a tall-growing, warm-season, annual vegetable from the same family as hollyhock, rose of Sharon and hibiscus. The pods, when cut, exude a mucilaginous juice that is used to thicken stews (gumbo), and have a flavor somewhat like a cross between asparagus and eggplant.
Cultivation:
Abelmoschus esculentus is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world. It will tolerate poor soils with heavy clay and intermittent moisture. Severe frost can damage the pods.
It is an annual crop in the southern United States.
Recommended Varieties :
Annie Oakley (hybrid; 52 days to harvest; compact plant; extra tender pods)
Dwarf Green Long Pod (52 days; ribbed pods)
Clemson Spineless (56 days; AAS winner)
In cultivation, the seeds are soaked overnight prior to planting to a depth of 1-2 cm. Germination occurs between six days (soaked seeds) and three weeks. Seedlings require ample water. The seed pods rapidly become fibrous and woody and must be harvested within a week of the fruit being pollinated to be edible.
The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic “goo” when the seed pods are cooked. In order to avoid this effect, okra pods are often stir fried, so the moisture is cooked away, or paired with slightly acidic ingredients, such as citrus or tomatoes. The cooked leaves are also a powerful soup thickener.
Based on the rising experiences with its country cousin, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), okra could, at least in principle, have a future producing yet more things that are strange for a vegetable crop, including:
*Construction materials: Kenaf-blend panels are said to perform better than the present particleboard.
*Handicrafts: Kenaf fiber makes excellent mats, hats, baskets, and more.
*Forage: Chopping up the whole kenaf plant and feeding it to animals has proven successful.
*Fuel: Kenaf roots and stems burn fiercely.
Uses:
Abelmoschus esculentus is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world for its fibrous fruits or pods containing round, white seeds. The fruits are harvested when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
The immature pods are used for soups, canning and stews or as a fried or boiled vegetable. The hibiscus like flowers and upright plant (3 to 6 feet or more in height) have ornamental value for backyard gardens.
A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known vegetable has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.
In Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Yemen, and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean, okra is widely used in a thick stew made with vegetables and meat. In Indian cooking, it is sauteed or added to gravy-based preparations and is very popular in South India. In Caribbean islands okra is cooked up and eaten as soup, often with fish. In Haiti, it is cooked with rice and maize; it is also used as a sauce for meat. It became a popular vegetable in Japanese cuisine toward the end of the 20th century, served with soy sauce and katsuobushi or as tempura. It is used as a thickening agent in gumbo. Breaded, deep fried okra is served in the southern United States. The immature pods may also be pickled.
Okra leaves may be cooked in a similar manner as the greens of beets or dandelions. The leaves are also eaten raw in salads. Okra seeds may be roasted and ground to form a non-caffeinated substitute for coffee. As imports were disrupted by the American Civil War in 1861, the Austin State Gazette noted, “An acre of okra will produce seed enough to furnish a plantation of fifty negroes with coffee in every way equal to that imported from Rio.
Okra forms part of several regional “signature” dishes. Frango com quiabo (chicken with okra) is a Brazilian dish that is especially famous in the region of Minas Gerais. Gumbo, a hearty stew whose key ingredient is okra, is found throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States and in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The word “gumbo” is based on the Central Bantu word for okra, “kigombo”, via the Caribbean Spanish “guingambó” or “quimbombó”. It is also an expected ingredient in callaloo, a Caribbean dish and the national dish of Trinidad & Tobago. Okra is also enjoyed in Nigeria where okra soup (Draw soup) is a special delicacy with Garri(eba) or akpu.
In Vietnam, okra is the important ingredient in the dish canh chua.
Mature okra is used to make rope and paper! (Avoid those old woody pods!).
Medicinal Uses: Nutrition:
Okra is a good source of vitamin C and A, also B complex vitamins, iron and calcium. It is low in calories, a good source of dietary fiber, and is fat-free.
Okra oil is a pressed seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the okra. The greenish yellow edible oil has a pleasant taste and odor, and is high in unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid. The oil content of the seed is quite high at about 40%. Oil yields from okra crops are also high. At 794 kg/ha, the yield was exceeded only by that of sunflower oil in one trial.
Unspecified parts of the plant reportedly possess diuretic properties.
Contains male contraceptive gossypol.
According to Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist) Okra has several benefits.
1. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.
2. Okra’s mucilage binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver.
3. Okra helps lubricate the large intestines due to its bulk laxative qualities. The okra fiber absorbs water and ensures bulk in stools. This helps prevent and improve constipation. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra’s mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic. Okra binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids). These, if not evacuated, will cause numerous health problems. Okra also assures easy passage out of waste from the body. Okra is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming, has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most unlike the OTC drugs.
4. Okra fiber is excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). This contributes to the health of the intestinal tract.
5. Okra is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.
6. Okra is used for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber. It helps to neutralize acids, being very alkaline, and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract.
7. Okra treats lung inflammation, sore throat, and irritable bowel.
8. In India, okra has been used successfully in experimental blood plasma replacements.
To retain most of okra’s nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, e.g. with low heat or lightly steamed. Some eat it raw.
Specific Ailments:-
Acid Reflux and Constipation
A person, suffering from constipation for the past 20 years and recently from acid reflux, started eating 6 pieces of Okra. Since then, has not taken any other medication. Now, his blood sugar has dropped from 135 to 98 and his cholesterol and acid reflux are also under control.
Asthma
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. This anti-inflammatory activity may curtail the development of asthma symptoms. A large preliminary study has shown that young children with asthma experience significantly less wheezing if they eat a diet high in fruits rich in vitamin C. 1/2 cup of cooked Okra contains over 13 mg of vitamin C.
Atherosclerosis
Diets high in insoluble fiber, such as those containing okra, are associated with protection against heart disease in both men and women.
Cancer
The insoluble fiber found in Okra helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy, decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colo-rectal cancer.
Capillary fragility
Eating plenty of flavonoid and vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables such as okra helps to support the structure of capillaries.
Cataracts
1/2 cup of cooked okra contains 460 IU of vitamin A. Some studies have reported that eating more foods rich in beta-carotene or vitamin A was associated with a lower risk of cataracts.
Cholesterol
A study (JAMA July 23, 2003) showed that consuming a “dietary portfolio” of vegetarian foods lowered cholesterol nearly as well as the prescription drug lovastatin (Mevacor). The diet was rich in soluble fiber from oats, barley, psyllium, eggplant and okra. It used soy substitutes instead of meat and milk and included almonds and cholesterol-lowering margarine (such as Take Control) every day.
Depression and Lack of Energy
Okra is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.
High homocysteine
A controlled trial showed that eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables containing folic acid, beta-carotene, and vitamin C effectively lowered homocysteine levels. Healthy people were assigned to either a diet containing a pound of fruits and vegetables per day, or to a diet containing 3 1/2 ounces (99g) of fruits and vegetables per day. After four weeks, those eating the higher amount of fruits and vegetables had an 11 percent lower homocysteine level compared to those eating the lower amount of fruits and vegetables. Okra is a storehouse of vitamins and folic acid.
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
In one survey, researchers gathered information from nearly 400 people (half with MS) over three years. They found that consumption of vegetable protein, fruit juice, and foods rich in vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, and potassium correlated with a decreased MS risk.
Known Hazards : The hairs on the seed pods can be an irritant to some people and gloves should be worn when harvesting. These hairs can be easily removed by washing.
Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
A chemical found in chillies protects the plant from a fungus as well as our guts from bacterial infections.
Biologist Joshua Tewksbury has peeked into an aeons-old war between a plant and a fungus in rural Bolivia, and completed a long-standing puzzle about chillies. In a study of wild capsicum plants native to eastern Bolivia, Tewksbury has shown that the plants are loaded with a chemical that appears uniquely designed to protect them from a fungus called Fusarium.
Human taste buds have long been familiar with the chemical — capsaicin. It is the ingredient from chillies that goes into hundreds of dishes from cuisines worldwide — from Andhra chicken curry to Gaeng Phed, a spicy red curry from Thailand, to spicy Mexical lentils. Capsaicin in chillies provides the spicy taste to dishes. For plants, Tewksbury — of the University of Washington in Seattle — has found, capsaicin is self-defence against a microbe.
Microbes, it turns out, may help explain two elements of a puzzle about chillies. Why are chillies spicy? Why did humans begin to eat chillies — a spicy, even painful, fruit — in the first place?
One question was solved 10 years ago. Jennifer Billing, an undergraduate at Cornell University, scanned dozens of cookbooks and compiled a list of more than 4,500 recipes representing meat-based cuisines from 36 countries.
Then Billing and Paul Sherman, a professor of neurobiology and behaviour at Cornell, analysed temperature and rainfall patterns and cultivation ranges of 43 spice plants in each of those countries, and the anti bacterial properties of each plant.
The exercise threw up a distinct pattern on the map. The world appeared to have a hot zone — a band on either side of the equator where temperatures are high and the food tends to be spicy hot.
India, Thailand and Malaysia were at the top of the hot climate and hot food list. Sweden, Finland and Norway were the coldest countries with the least spicy food. The scientists also found that spices were microbe killers. Garlic, onion and oregano were the most efficient, wiping out virtually all bacteria, followed by cinnamon, cumin and thyme that kill 80 per cent of bacteria. Capsicum and chillies eliminate about 75 per cent of bacteria.
The Cornell biologists proposed that humans began to add spices to their food centuries ago — without realising it — to lower the risk of food-borne microbial infections. Some bacteria that might enter human stomachs through food have the potential to kill. The taste for spicy food, Sherman and Billing postulated, was a trait that would be beneficial — culturally and genetically.
“People who enjoyed food with anti bacterial spices probably were healthier, especially in hot climates,” said Sherman. “They lived longer, they left more offspring — and they taught their offspring how to cook food (with spices).”
The new study has solved the second botanical puzzle about chillies. A spicy fruit on first analysis is perplexing to evolutionary biologists. A plant makes fruit to lure insects and animals to eat and disperse its seeds to facilitate reproduction. “So it doesn’t make sense for a fruit to be painfully hot,” said Douglas Levey of the University of Florida, Gainesville, who was part of the six-member team that studied Bolivian chillies.
The researchers found that capsaicin significantly slows microbe growth and protect the fruit from Fusarium. Their findings were published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Eastern Bolivia was the ideal locale for this study. A variety of wild capsicum grows there along a stretch of some 1,600 kilometres. Some are spicy and pungent, while others lack capsaicin and are less or not at all spicy.
Scars left by insects feeding on capsicum are used by the fungus as gateways into the fruit. The researchers counted the insect scars, analysed rates of fungal attack and levels of capsaicin in the plants. They found that hot plants were hotter with higher levels of capsaicin in areas where fungal attacks were common. In areas with few insects — and thus less danger of fungal attack — the plants were less spicy.
The studies consistently showed that a high level of capsaicin was associated with lower seed mortality from fungal attack. The findings appear to be general and could also be applicable to chillies grown elsewhere, including India, said Tewksbury. “There are reasons to suspect that fungi and microbes are general targets of these capsaicins,” Tewksbury told KnowHow.
But while capsaicin slows microbial growth and protects the fruit from Fusarium, it doesn’t interfere with seed dispersal. “Birds don’t have the physiological machinery to detect the spicy chemical and continue to eat peppers and disperse the seeds,” Levey said.
The study shows that the use of chillies by humans appears to mirror the evolutionary function of capsaicin. “The capsaicin in chillies may have protected early humans from microbial infections,” said Tewksbury.
Researchers argue that before the advent of refrigeration, it was probably beneficial to eat chillies, particularly in the hot tropics. Studies suggest that all chillies originated in South America, and explorers carried the plants to Europe and elsewhere. Today, scientists estimate, one in four humans worldwide consumes chillies daily. “The use of chilli peppers as a spice has spread to nearly every culture within 20 degrees of the equator,” said Levey, “and it tends to decline as you move toward the poles.”
Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)
At some time or another, everyone — even a robust fitness freak — gets felled by the common cold, developing sniffles, sneezing, puffy eyes, fever, body ache and malaise. Children start to develop colds during their first year, the frequency of which may increase to up to six times a year. This leaves the mothers with the feeling that the child is “always ill”. The average adult gets three to four colds a year.
Almost 40 per cent of outpatient medical consultations in a general practice deals with colds and their complications. This is not surprising, as colds are unavoidable infections. They are caused by viruses, 80 per cent of which belong to the rhinovirus family. Not only are there more than a hundred members in this group alone, but the types also mutate at a rapid rate. This makes immunity practically non-existent, or at best short lived. To make matters worse, there is no vaccine available, except for flu or influenza.
Colds are highly contagious. The spread is rapid as the virus, contained in nasal secretions, can be propelled forcefully into the environment by coughing and sneezing. It can also be transferred from the nose to the hands of infected people. Patients can then transfer the virus to door knobs, telephones, banisters, switches and other such objects. The virus can remain dormant but viable for 18 hours or more until it finds a susceptible host. Any person touching the contaminated surface has a 50 per cent chance of picking up the infection.
Infection increases during the rainy season and winter months. People tend to huddle together under umbrellas or shelters. Windows may be kept closed. The close contact and lack of ventilation provide ideal conditions for the spread of the cold virus. Contrary to popular myths, colds are not aggravated by washing the hair at night, eating ice cream or using air-conditioning.
The infection incubates for a day or two before symptoms appear. It may then last a variable period of time, usually 5-14 days. If there is no recovery within two weeks, there may be secondary bacterial infection and complications like sinusitis, ear infection, bronchitis and pneumonia may have set in.
Smokers develop colds more frequently than non-smokers do. Their colds are more severe, take longer to subside and are more likely to be complicated by secondary infection. This is because the cilia — fine protective hairs that line the respiratory passages — are paralysed by nicotine. They, therefore, clear accumulated mucous sluggishly and inefficiently. Also, smokers’ lungs are likely to be scarred, distorted, have a reduced blood supply and function sub-optimally, making elimination of the infection difficult.
Man has reached the moon but a cure for the common cold remains elusive. We still rely on “grandma’s recommendations” of hot drinks like ginger tea, lime juice with honey, rice gruel and chicken soup. These do soothe the irritated throat. Also, resting helps. It reduces the pain in the muscles and bones. Steam inhalations liquefy the secretions and help them to drain, providing relief.
Stuffed and blocked nasal passages can be cleared with saline (not chemical) nose drops. Aspirin and paracetamol reduce fever and pain. Anti histamines reduce itching in the nose and throat and dry up dripping nasal secretions. The older first-generation anti histamines (Avil, Benadryl) are very effective but they cause sedation. The second-generation non-sedating products (loratidine, cetrizine) are less effective.
Many health supplements are advocated to boost immunity and reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. Many are of doubtful efficacy and have not been studied scientifically. Zinc supplements, however, have been proven to be useful. They can be used as lozenges, syrups or tablets. Not more than 10-15 mg a day of elemental zinc should be taken.
Antibiotics do not work and administering them is futile and inappropriate. They do not shorten the course of the infection. Nor do they prevent complications. Antiviral medications used against the influenza and herpes viruses are ineffective against the rhinovirus. If the cold just refuses to go away and there are no bacterial complications, it may not be a cold at all. It may be an idiosyncratic allergic reaction to something inhaled or ingested from the environment. Mosquito coils, liquid repellents, room fresheners and incense sticks are particularly notorious.
The best advice for someone with a cold — “wait it out”.
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