Zinc is one of the trace elements essential for good health. But taking zinc supplements to fight respiratory infections may be more trouble than it’s worth.
Long before zinc was known as a cold cure, it was an unusual metal. The name comes from an old German word zink, meaning peaked or pointed. It was first mentioned in the West by Paracelsus, the renowned Swiss herbalist and alchemist of the 16th century, although India had developed zinc smelting techniques a few hundred years before.
