The common cold is the leading cause of illness in the United States alone, accounting for approximately 1 billion per year. In the ongoing quest to find a cure for the common cold, it was discovered in 1984 that zinc could help shorten the duration of a cold and reduce the severity of symptoms (4). However, some results proved inconclusive when attempts were made to repeat the results. This article will explore the most recent studies on zinc's effect on the common cold and examine what further research should be explored. This first study explored treating the common cold using zinc nasal gel. The hypothesis of this study was to help determine whether zinc injected directly into the site of infection might be more beneficial than oral administration (2). They had a total of 213 subjects; 108 of these were given zinc gel and 105 were given a placebo. Participants had to have symptoms that lasted at least 24 hours and included at least 3 of the following symptoms: cough, headache, hoarseness, muscle pain, nasal drainage, nasal congestion, sore throat, sore throat, or sneezing. Participants were also expected to include no other cold medications during the duration of this study. The administration involved a spray in each nostril every 4 hours (9:00, 13:00, 17:00 and 21:00) for as long as the symptoms occurred. Participants were also provided with a diary to document the severity of their symptoms. They wrote in the diary twice a day (9am and 9pm). Symptoms were graded from 0 (absent) to 3 (severe) (2). . The results showed that participants taking the zinc gel had reduced symptoms to 2.3 days while the placebo group's symptoms lasted 9.0 days (2). In examining this study further there was no ... half of the article ...... Hirt M, Sion N, Barron E. Zinc nasal gel for the treatment of symptoms of the common cold: a double-blind study , placebo controlled trial. ENT. 2000:778-782.3. Mossad SB. Effect of zincum gluconicum nasal gel on the duration and severity of symptoms of the common cold in otherwise healthy adults. QJ Med. 2003(96):35-43.4. Novick SG, Godfrey JC, Godfrey NJ, Wilder HR. How does zinc modify the common cold? Medical hypotheses. 1996;46:295-302.5. Prasad A, Fitzgerald J, Bao B, Beck F, Chandsasekar P. Duration of symptoms and plasma cytokine levels in patients with the common cold treated with zinc acetate. Ann Intern Med. 2000;133:245-252.6. Vakili R, Vahedian M, Khodaei G, Mahmous M. Effects of zinc supplementation on the onset and duration of the common cold in school-age children during cold seasons: a double-blind placebo-controlled trail. Iran J Pediatrician. 2009;19(4):376-380.