Using saltwater nose rinses can help you get over a cold faster, cut down on how much medicine you need, and make it less likely to spread the cold to others in your home.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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A pilot, open labelled, randomised controlled trial of hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling for the common cold

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2019 Jan 31

This study found that using saltwater nose rinses and gargling shortened colds by almost two days, cut medicine use by over a third, and reduced spreading colds to family members, just like the claim says.

Contradicting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Saline nasal irrigation for acute upper respiratory tract infections.

Systematic Review

2010 Mar 17

The study looked at saline nasal rinses for colds but found they didn't really shorten sickness much or prove the other benefits claimed—it says more research is needed.

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Similar Assertions

Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might help you get over a cold faster by about 2 days if you start doing it right when symptoms begin.

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80%

Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might help healthy adults with colds use 36% less store-bought medicine, according to a small study. This could mean fewer people need drugs for cold symptoms, but bigger studies are needed to be sure.

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76%

Using Nasodine spray doesn't really shorten how long a common cold lasts—it takes about 10 days to get better, just like using a simple saltwater spray.

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72

73%

Using saltwater nose rinses might help you get over a cold about a third of a day faster, but the study wasn't sure if this small difference was real luck or just chance.

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72%