“7 Immune Support Supplements Worth Adding to Your Routine” is a collaborative post.
Nursery colds, school bugs, broken nights. When you are the one holding everything together, looking after your own immune system function tends to slide down the list. Supplements are not a substitute for sleep, food and fresh air, but they are one of the easier things to keep consistent when the rest of your week is unpredictable. Below are seven immune support supplements worth knowing about, from foundational vitamin C and zinc to elderberry, echinacea and aged garlic, with a note on the format each one comes in so you can pick something you will actually remember to take.
Goli Triple Action Immune Gummies: the all-in-one daily option
If you would rather take one thing than four, Goli’s Triple Action formula combines the widest mix of nutrients and botanicals on this list in a single serving. Two gummies a day provide 60mg of vitamin C, 10mcg of vitamin D and 3.75mg of zinc, three nutrients recognised for their contribution to normal immune system function, alongside 35mg of black elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) and a 15mg botanical blend of turmeric powder, ginger extract and echinacea extract. The brand describes the formula as offering added antioxidant support as well. These immune support gummies are vegan, non-GMO, gelatin-free, gluten-free and kosher, in a blackberry strawberry lemonade flavour, and the chewable format means they can be taken without water.
Viridian Vitamin C 500mg with Zinc: a gentler foundational capsule
Plain vitamin C can be hard on an empty stomach, which is where this one earns its place. Viridian uses what it calls a balanced tri-ascorbate blend, buffering 500mg of vitamin C with zinc, magnesium and calcium to reduce the acidity and make it gentler on the stomach. Each capsule also carries 5mg of zinc as zinc ascorbate and 50mg of citrus bioflavonoids providing 85% hesperidin, in an alfalfa base. The company works to a “100% active ingredients” standard with no artificial fillers, no GMO ingredients and no palm oil, and the plant cellulose capsule suits vegans. The formulation keeps to a short ingredients list rather than a broad multi-nutrient blend.
BetterYou Vitamin D3 3000 IU Oral Spray: useful through the darker months
Vitamin D is the one most of us in the UK think about from autumn onwards, and this is the least fussy way to take it. One daily dose delivers 3000 IU, or 75mcg, of vitamin D3 in a natural sugar-free peppermint spray you use inside your cheek. BetterYou developed the technology with Cardiff University and describes it as bypassing the primary processing of the digestive system. The spray format may suit you if you find capsules difficult to swallow. The brand states it is suitable for adults and children aged 13 and over. The standard formulation is vegetarian, with the D3 sourced from lanolin, and a vegan version is available.
Sambucol Extra Defence: black elderberry in liquid form
Elderberry appears in a lot of immune support formulas, and Sambucol’s range is built around it. Extra Defence is described by the brand as its strongest formulation, built on the same black elderberry juice as the original, at 3.8g per 10ml serving, with vitamins and minerals added on top. That includes 150mg of vitamin C and 15mg of zinc per dose, plus vitamin D, vitamin B6, copper, selenium, folic acid and betacarotene. It comes as a liquid, so it is easy to take with breakfast without any water. Worth noting before you buy: the brand states this formulation is suitable for ages 12 and over, so it is one for the grown-ups rather than the whole family.
A.Vogel Echinaforce: freshly harvested echinacea
Echinacea has been used traditionally for generations, and A.Vogel has built its reputation on how it handles the plant. Echinaforce is made from freshly harvested echinacea rather than dried material, which the company says can retain up to three times the amount of active ingredients. The range is unusually broad for a single herb, covering drops, tablets, chewable tablets, a hot drink, lozenges and a sore throat spray, so you can pick a format that fits the moment. Several products in the range, including the Forte tablets, chewable tablets, hot drink and sore throat spray, are registered under the UK’s Traditional Herbal Registration scheme, a regulatory category for traditional remedies used for minor conditions that do not need medical supervision. The chewable tablets are described as suitable for children over 12.
Bio-Kult Everyday: for the gut side of the equation
Gut health is often discussed alongside immune support, which is why a live bacteria supplement is worth including here. Bio-Kult Everyday is a multi-strain formulation containing 14 strains and two billion live microorganisms per capsule, described by the brand as designed to complement your existing gut flora. Practically speaking, two things make it easy to live with: it needs no refrigeration, so it travels and survives a chaotic kitchen, and the brand states it is suitable from age three, which makes it one of the few options here that works across a household. It is vegetarian, gluten-free and free from artificial colours and flavours, though it does contain traces of milk and soya from the fermentation process.
Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract Formula 103: garlic without the garlic breath
Garlic has a long history of traditional use, and Kyolic’s version is formulated to be odourless. Its garlic is grown on certified organic farms in California, then aged without heat for up to 20 months, a process the company says converts the harsh, unstable organosulfur compounds into odourless, non-irritating and more bioavailable ones while increasing the garlic’s antioxidant potential. Formula 103 pairs that aged garlic extract with vitamin C, a mushroom complex, astragalus, oregano and olive leaf extracts. It is odourless, non-GMO, gluten-free and sugar-free. The one thing to check is the serving: the suggested use is two capsules with meals twice daily, so four a day, which is more of a commitment than a single gummy.
Fitting immune support into a real week
Format is worth weighing alongside the ingredients list. A spray, a liquid or a gummy can be taken without water, while capsules vary in how many you need to take each day, and the options above range from a single two-gummy serving to four capsules daily. It is also worth reading the suitability notes each brand gives, since some of these formulations are stated to be for ages 12 or 13 and over while others are described as suitable from age three. Whatever you choose, it is worth checking with your doctor or pharmacist before starting something new, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, giving anything to a child or taking any medication.
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