NutriStack
Echinacea and Zinc, a synergy.
Echinacea and zinc are frequently paired for cold and upper respiratory support, with zinc lozenges showing evidence for shortening cold duration.
One pair, every claim cited. The two substances, the type, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
Same shape as the other 1,729 pairs in the public database.
From the interaction database
What the row says.
Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
At a glance
- Pair type
- Synergy
- Evidence (highest tier)
- Moderate
- Source citations
- 2 sources
- Stack Score effect
- +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
- Scope
- Supplement × Supplement
- Last verified
- May 30, 2026
Synergy · Moderate evidence
Synergy
What is happening. Echinacea and zinc are frequently paired for cold and upper respiratory support, with zinc lozenges showing evidence for shortening cold duration.
Mechanism. Zinc interferes with rhinovirus replication and supports immune cell function, while echinacea modulates innate immune and cytokine responses, giving complementary antiviral and immune-supportive actions.
Recommendation. Reasonable to combine at the first sign of a cold. Take zinc with food if it causes nausea.
Sources (2)
- Hemila H, Zinc lozenges and the common cold: a meta-analysis comparing zinc acetate and zinc gluconate, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Open, 2017
- Karsch-Volk M et al., Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014
Stack Score
How this pair moves the number.
Effect on the composite score
If both Echinacea and Zinc are in the same stack, this pair applies +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are documented at /methodology/stack-score.
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