Which supplement works better to reduce frequency of the common cold: echinacea or l-cystine?

Ratings at a Glance

Supplement	Effectiveness Rating	Confidence Rating
Echinacea
L-Cystine

Effectiveness Rating: Echinacea vs L-Cystine

The effectiveness rating is a measure of the supplements' ability to reduce frequency of the common cold. This rating answers the question of whether or not a supplement does what it claims. The evidence shows l-cystine is better than echinacea in its ability to reduce frequency of the common cold. L-Cystine should provide some positive results while echinacea will not.

Confidence Rating: Echinacea vs L-Cystine

Another factor to take into account when comparing supplements is the confidence rating. This rating is a measure of how valid each supplement's effectiveness rating is. Remember, the confidence rating is a measure of how much you can trust the effectiveness rating. This rating is based on how many studies are included in the database on a supplement's claims. Ideally, you want a high effectiveness AND confidence rating.

Both echinacea and l-cystine have low confidence ratings. This means neither supplement has an adequate amount of research to back up this claim. A low confidence rating questions the validity of the effectiveness rating.