NEVER TOGETHER
Cold symptom support
The other cold formula carries the same 1,000 mg of vitamin C, 15 mg of zinc, 25 µg of vitamin D3 and 600 mg of elderberry. Together your zinc would reach 30 mg, above the EFSA upper limit of 25 mg, so the engine never runs both at once.
NEVER TOGETHER
Immunity
The CORE formula carries 10 mg of zinc, 25 µg of vitamin D3, 200 mg of vitamin C and 600 mg of echinacea. Next to this one, your zinc would reach 25 mg, the EFSA upper limit, and rule R11 blocks any formula that takes a total to its limit, so the two never run at once. The same count runs on the vitamin D3 in any formula you are on. The echinacea would add up to 3,000 mg, while our echinacea file caps the daily sum at 1,200 mg of dried extract and asks for a single major immune stimulant at a time. Our vitamin C file also sets a combined ceiling of 1,000 mg a day across two formulas, and this one uses all of it on its own.
TALK TO A DOCTOR FIRST
Not for everyone
Not for you if you have an autoimmune condition (including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, inflammatory bowel disease, vitiligo or active psoriasis), severe atopy, an organ transplant, advanced HIV, active tuberculosis, leukaemia or lymphoma; if you are immunosuppressed or take immunosuppressants such as ciclosporin, tacrolimus, methotrexate or anti-TNF biologics; if you take vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants; if you are allergic to the daisy family (Asteraceae); if you have Menkes disease; if you are pregnant or breastfeeding; or for children under 12. Talk to a doctor first if you are under 18; take other anticoagulants or antiplatelets (warfarin, acenocoumarol, apixaban, dabigatran), digoxin, thiazide diuretics, corticosteroids, orlistat, statins, anticonvulsants such as phenytoin, phenobarbital or carbamazepine, deferoxamine, cisplatin or any other cancer treatment, ACE inhibitors, azole antifungals, antiretrovirals, the contraceptive pill, antacids (aluminium antacids in particular), medicines broken down by the liver such as midazolam, theophylline or caffeine in high doses, or medicines that strain the liver such as paracetamol, isoniazid, methotrexate or anabolic steroids; have calcium kidney stones or a history of oxalate stones, liver disease, high blood calcium, sarcoidosis or primary hyperparathyroidism, haemochromatosis, thalassaemia or other iron overload, G6PD deficiency or histamine intolerance; have lost your sense of smell or use intranasal zinc products; or already take zinc, vitamin C or vitamin D from other supplements. Keep quinolone antibiotics 2 hours before or 4–6 hours after it, tetracyclines at least 2 hours apart, penicillamine at least 1 hour apart and bisphosphonates at least 30 minutes apart; keep iron of 25 mg or more, calcium of 500 mg or more and strong coffee or tea 2 hours away. Do not exceed 25 mg of zinc a day in total. If you have chronic kidney disease, this formula is above the limit our vitamin C file sets: it asks for no more than 500 mg a day in chronic kidney disease, because of the risk of calcium oxalate stones and hyperoxaluria, and this formula carries 1,000 mg. Echinacea can rarely cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Do not use it for more than 10 days in a row, and see a doctor or pharmacist if your symptoms last longer. Our echinacea file also caps total echinacea use at 8 weeks, with a break of at least 2 weeks after that. The elderberry is a processed extract; never eat raw elderberries, which are toxic. The vitamin D3 is not vegan. The app asks before it ever suggests this one.
