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Swedish Herbal Remedy Conquered Cold

Q. I live in Sweden and work from home, so I rarely come down with colds. However, the other day I got a whopper–a sore throat, a horrible runny nose and a really bad cough, so I decided to try Kan Jang. Kan Jang is a popular cold remedy here produced by the Swedish Herbal Institute.

I started on Kan Jang a day ago and was surprised by the results. My runny nose is completely gone and my cough has subsided dramatically. The postnasal drip that has been driving me nuts for a couple of years is gone.

A. Kan Jang is not available in the United States, but its principal ingredient, a Chinese herb called Andrographis paniculata, is sold in health food stores by various manufacturers. It can also be found in a product called Kold Kare. There are placebo-controlled studies showing that Andrographis can speed recovery from colds (Planta Medica, April 2004).

We discuss the use of Andrographis, another Chinese herb, Astragalus, and a variety of natural remedies for easing symptoms in our Guide to Cold Remedies.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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