Licensed Pharmacist Makes Concoction for the Common Cold!

Quick Overview

The licensed pharmacist demonstrates a homemade zinc lozenge concoction for treating the common cold, created by crushing 25mg Zinc Gluconate tablets and mixing the powder with 10mL of honey and 10mL of simple syrup to create a thick, effective oral remedy that coats the throat.

Key Points: The pharmacist creates a zinc lozenge concoction by crushing 25mg Zinc Gluconate tablets into a fine powder (03:59). The recommended dose for zinc to treat a cold is around 10mg every three hours, requiring the pharmacist to split a 25mg tablet in half (03:19, 04:48). The dry zinc powder is mixed with 10mL of Gunter's Pure Honey (Wildflower) and 10mL of simple syrup to achieve a thick, viscous liquid (08:16, 08:52). The resulting mixture tastes great and coats the throat, which is the desired mechanism of action for this specific remedy (09:59, 10:15). The pharmacist notes that this specific 10mg dose is hard to find commercially in lozenge form, necessitating this compounding approach (04:43, 11:09). The pharmacist used a small amber vial to measure the 10mL of syrup, aiming for a total volume of 20mL (10mL syrup + 10mL honey) to dissolve the 10mg zinc dose (07:15, 08:45). The final product is an effective, science-backed at-home remedy for cold symptoms, specifically targeting throat relief (10:27, 10:30).

Context: The video features Grant Harting, a licensed pharmacist in four states, who sets out to create a custom remedy for the common cold using zinc supplementation. He explains that zinc is believed to have antiviral properties when applied locally in the throat rather than being absorbed systemically via the gut. Because the optimal dose (around 10mg every few hours) is difficult to find in commercially available lozenges, he decides to compound a viscous liquid mixture using zinc tablets and a thickener (honey) in a simple syrup base.

Detailed Analysis

The pharmacist, Grant Harting, begins by stating his intention to create a zinc concoction to treat the common cold, arguing that zinc's antiviral properties are best utilized when coating the throat rather than being absorbed systemically. He points out that the recommended dose for cold treatment is around 10mg every three hours, which is hard to find in commercial products like lozenges or nasal sprays. To overcome this, he plans to crush a 25mg Zinc Gluconate tablet (like the Nature's Bounty 50mg supplement shown) and mix half of it (12.5mg or aiming for 10mg) into a viscous liquid vehicle. He first crushes the tablet using a mortar and pestle until the particles are very fine (06:17). He then measures 10mL of simple syrup (acting as a vehicle) into a small amber vial (07:53). Next, he adds a small amount of Gunter's Pure Wildflower Honey to the syrup to increase viscosity (08:16). He estimates adding about 10mL of honey, aiming for a final mixture that has 10mg of zinc in a thick liquid base, which he believes will effectively coat the throat cells where the virus is active (09:18, 10:14). After mixing the ingredients, he samples the concoction, noting that it tastes great and the viscosity seems appropriate for coating the throat. He concludes that this homemade remedy, which is scientifically backed for zinc's antiviral properties in the throat, is superior to simply swallowing high-dose zinc tablets.