Everything DoseRank tracks on the cold, flu & cough shelf — Elderberry and N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC). The category itself is never ranked: 206 products get scored the moment you say what you want them to do.
How to read the scores
This legend covers the scores on this page — for data sources, scoring weights, and limits, read the full methodology →
Answer a few questions about your goals, habits, stack, and budget. Then, DoseRank will find the products that best match your needs based on your answers. It's free and only takes 60 seconds! No account is required.
A saved, shareable breakdown: your matched products, dose math, interaction flags to discuss with a clinician, and a price-tracked stack you can revisit.
Questions
Each product gets a composite score blending clinical strength, evidence, dose fit, trust and value — computed for the goal you picked, across this category's products. The #1 on the DoseRank tab has the highest composite; the other tabs re-rank the same products by Value, Trust, or Popularity. Placement is never paid.
Start with a goal, not a brand
Browsing cold, flu & cough supplements without a goal makes no sense — different products do different jobs, and “best” flips depending on which job you're hiring for. These are the 45 health outcomes that matter for this category. Pick yours, and the full evidence-ranked shelf loads for that goal alone.
Respiratory symptom burdenOverall severity of breathing-related symptoms.38 rankedModerate-strong
Oral healthOverall condition of the mouth, teeth, and gums.18 rankedStrong
Cough severityFrequency or intensity of coughing.15 rankedStrong
Zinc statusBiochemical sufficiency of zinc.45 rankedStrong
Common cold incidenceFrequency of upper respiratory infections resembling the common cold.73 rankedModerate-strong
Common cold durationLength of cold episodes.83 rankedModerate-strong
Albuminuria or proteinuriaProtein leakage into urine indicating kidney damage risk.11 rankedModerate-strong
Wrinkle severityDegree of visible skin wrinkling.16 rankedStrong
Vitamin C statusBiochemical sufficiency of ascorbic acid.52 rankedStrong
Iron statusOverall iron sufficiency and availability.59 rankedStrong
Wound healingSpeed and quality of tissue repair.60 rankedModerate-strong
Uric acidPurine metabolism marker associated with gout and cardiometabolic risk.53 rankedModerate-strong
Hair growth or densityIncrease or preservation of scalp or body hair.13 rankedModerate-strong
Gas or flatulenceExcess intestinal gas symptoms.85 rankedModerate-strong
Antioxidant capacityMeasured ability to counter oxidative stress.110 rankedStrongNothing is ranked yet — the shelf stays locked until you pick a goal.
No goal, no ranking.
A “best cold, flu & cough supplement” list without a goal would be marketing, not evidence. Pick what you want to improve and DoseRank scores all 206 products against that goal's trials.