Put zinc in your system in heavy doses (won't hurt you) ... and a cold will be gone within 24 hours.
Warning though ... zinc will dehydrate you, for the reason it works is because it dries up your fluids, to include the cold mucous .. so, you have to drink, and drink, and drink ... and then drink some more.
Fluids, Fluids, Fluids and more fluids. Specifically Vitamin C and if you can tolerate it, Cranberry juice over Orange juice.
Echinacea has proven... to do absolutely nothing. Zinc - still studies showing it has some effectiveneses but thats in combination with "fluids fluids fluids" Cold-Eze - Has zinc. More so effective to make you feel better while you have the cold rather than reduce the duration Airborne - Actually has some effectiveness but HAS to be taken in the very early on set of signs and symptoms. A lot of Airborne is just Vitamin C along with its other ingredients so this incombination with "fluids fluids fluids" will substantially reduce the colds duration.
I honestly think the real medicinal part of it is that since its water based, it goes back to just pushing fluids in your body and with most of the "pain" experienced with a cold is the actual just the misery of it, the soup is just really damn comforting lol