Get Ready for the Flu Season with Oscillococcinum!

Good Things to Do if You Get Flu.

1. Keep Oscillococcinum® readily available.
Oscillococcinum (Oscillo®), one of the world's most popular natural flu medicines, can reduce the duration and severity of flu-like symptoms when taken at the onset of symptoms. Oscillo is regulated as a drug by the FDA1 and its use is supported by published clinical studies as well as more than 65 years of worldwide use. Plus, unlike other flu medicines, Oscillo works without causing side effects, does not interfere with other medications, and is safe for both children (older than 2 years of age) and adults.

2. Stay hydrated.
When you are feeling under the weather, drinking extra fluids prevents dehydration caused by fever, loosens mucus and keeps your throat moist. Warm liquids are preferable, and there is some evidence that inhaling steam early in the course of a cold or flu may reduce the spread of viruses in your upper respiratory tract.

3. Listen to your body.
If you do come down with a cold or flu, take it easy. Spending excessive energy steals valuable resources from your immune system. Even attempting to perform normal activities at work or school may be too much. Besides, if you believe you're coming down with flu, probably the best thing you can do for friends and family is to not expose them unnecessarily to the virus.

4. Be careful with medicines.
Children should not take any medicines containing aspirin while they have flu. If you take over-the-counter (OTC) cold or flu preparations, make certain that you're not overdosing. For example, many decongestant OTC medicines offer "all-in-one" relief; that is, they may contain fever and pain reducers. If you are also taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen separately, you may inadvertently be ingesting too much of these compounds.

5. Seek help if you get worse.
If your symptoms become significantly worse after the first 3 days of illness, especially if your fever subsides and then returns, be sure to seek medical attention right away. The reason that flu is considered a potentially dangerous infection is that it leaves the body vulnerable to other infections like pneumonia.

"Basically, your grandmother was right: when you have flu, stay at home, rest, drink plenty of fluids, and have some chicken soup - after inhaling the steam while it's cooking. I would add that you can gain an advantage in shortening the duration and severity of flu-like symptoms by taking Oscillococcinum as soon as they appear."

Clinical Studies on Oscillococcinum

Oscillococcinum has been shown in clinical trials to help reduce the severity and shorten the duration of flu symptoms.1,2

Oscillococcinum works rapidly, with 63 percent of patients showing “complete resolution" or "clear improvement” at 48 hours.*1 In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the recovery rate within 48 hours of treatment was significantly greater in the group that received the active drug than in the placebo group.†2

Unlike other flu medicines, Oscillococcinum does not cause side effects, such as drowsiness, and has no known or reported drug interactions. Oscillococcinum is regulated as a drug by the FDA3 and can be purchased at pharmacies, natural food stores and supermarkets.

Make sure patients have Oscillococcinum on hand because it works best when taken early. Recommend Oscillococcinum at the first signs of flu.

Summary of Studies

Download a PDF summary of four double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies on Oscillococcinum. Included in this PDF is a chart comparing Oscillococcinum with antivirals, herbs, vitamins, and symptomatic medicines for aches and fever.
Read More Research

Read an independent review of research studies on Oscillococcinum conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration (Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 3: CD001957, 2006.)


“Taking Oscillococcinum at the first sign of flu symptoms reduced the average bout by about 6 hours in the two studies that provided enough data to analyze.”

-Andrew Vickers, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who reviewed the evidence on Oscillococcinum for the Cochrane Collaboration (quote published in Nutrition Action Healthletter, January/February 2007)

“The research is somewhat promising. Two separate authors reviewed seven well-controlled studies that showed that it was able to reduce flu-like symptoms by about 7 hours. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you feel miserable, 7 hours can make a difference.”

-Joy Bauer, Joy Bauer Nutrition Center, New York, N.Y., and Today Show contributor (quote heard on the Today Show, Feb. 13, 2007)