[Therapy of common cold with a homeopathic combination preparation in comparison with acetylsalicylic acid. A controlled, randomized double-blind study]

Abstract

A clinical test was carried out on 170 West German army soldiers suffering from common cold. The test was conducted on a monocentric, randomized, non-sequential, and inter-individual basis; the research workers were kept blind on the identity of the medication. The purpose of testing was to compare the effectiveness of a combination homeopathic preparation (Gripp-Heel) with that of acetylsalicylic acid. On the 4th and 10th treatment days, no significant difference was determined with respect to changes in clinical findings, subjectively assessed complaints, or length of time the patients were unable to work. Thus the two preparations possess comparative effectiveness in the treatment of the common cold.