In today’s health-conscious world, maintaining a robust immune system has become a top priority for many people. While proper nutrition, regular exercise, and adequate sleep form the foundation of immune health, many individuals are also exploring how targeted supplementation can support their body’s natural defenses.

Your immune system works around the clock to protect you from various pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and other harmful microorganisms. Supporting this complex system through evidence-based nutritional approaches can be a valuable addition to your overall wellness strategy.

While you’ll find countless immune-supporting nutrients available, not all supplements are created equal. The key is focusing on those with solid scientific research backing their immune-supportive properties.

In this article, we’ll explore 5 research-backed antiviral supplements and 2 powerful immune-supporting foods that can help optimize your body’s natural defense mechanisms. Each recommendation is supported by peer-reviewed scientific studies, giving you confidence in making informed decisions about your immune health.

☝️ It is important to understand that supplementation alone does not do miracles. If you smoke, eat junk every day, not exercising enough, not sleeping enough and your stress levels are at the roof, nothing can help you. So, keep that in mind at all cases.

1. Vitamin C

We all know about Vitamin C’s immune benefits. Its influence on our immune systems is amazing. Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals – meaning it can fix things inside the body.

As far as its immune benefits Vitamin C can enhance antibodies. Antibodies are proteins that fight pathogens – microbes that shouldn’t be in your body. [1]

Vitamin C also increases interferon-a hormone – a hormone that kills infected cells and their surrounding neighbors. In general, Vitamin C can fight infections drastically. [2]

Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy. Scurvy makes you susceptible to fatal infections such as pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of the main things that Coronavirus causes to its hosts. [3]

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. This means it has a low body capacity. It can be flushed out of our systems when we take a pee or sweat, so we need to eat foods that contain Vitamin C or supplements ourselves regularly.

Here’s a quick video by Dr. Eric Berg talking about the Immune benefits of Vitamin C.

Personally, whenever I feel that I’m about to get sick, I pop a 1000 mg Vitamin C capsule per hour. Yes, per hour. I never got “hypervitaminosis”, neither I got any side-effects. But that’s me – if you got any health issues, you’d better ask your personal doctor.

Here are some of the best selling Vitamin C supplements on Amazon.

2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a valuable health ally for all ages. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that is synthesized in the body mainly through the effect of ultraviolet radiation of the sun on our skin but is also ingested by the consumption of certain foods. Its main role is the proper growth of our bones and promoting the health of our skeleton.

In recent years, however, many scientific studies have highlighted the important role of Vitamin D in the overall health of the body as it has been recorded to improve our body’s immune function, to control sugar and to control prevention of other serious diseases such as various cancers, multiple sclerosis, psychiatric diseases, and hypertension.

According to a study published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, Vitamin D has several immunomodulatory functions, including upregulation of antiviral peptides that are part of human innate immunity and can inactivate the influenza virus. [4]

Also, according to this article from Harvard University, a recent study by a global team of researchers has found that Vitamin D supplements, already widely prescribed for a variety of ailments, are effective in preventing respiratory diseases. [5]

According to a comprehensive 2024 review published in the World Journal of Virology, vitamin D has “antiviral properties, capable of directly inhibiting viral replication, while also operating in an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory capacity.” It also found that found that individuals with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL faced a 64% elevated risk of developing pneumonia. [6]

Furthermore, according to recent research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in 2024, the largest meta-analysis to date examined 40 studies with 61,589 participants and found vitamin D supplementation showed a protective trend with a 6% reduction in respiratory infection risk. [7]

Some of the best selling Vitamin D supplements on Amazon are:

3. B Complex Vitamins

B vitamins are involved in more than 100 enzyme reactions that occur in our bodies, many of which are related to the immune system and inflammation. The most studied vitamin B relative to the immune system is vitamin B6, whose intake from diet and supplement appears to increase the production of metabolites that regulate the immune response.

Also, Vitamin B6 is important for supporting the biochemical reactions of the immune system.

Foods rich in B6 vitamin are chicken and fish such as salmon and tuna. Vitamin B6 is also found in green leafy vegetables, in asparagus, in avocado, in chickpeas, yogurt, and cheese!

B vitamins are important in cases where the body has a vitamin deficiency, like for example vitamin B12 or B9. So the body is exposed to many infections and its ability to fight them quickly is reduced.

According to a 2023 study published in Biomedicines, high-dose vitamin B6 demonstrated “strong anti-inflammatory properties” by downregulating key inflammatory mediators including “CCL2, CCL5, CXCL2, CXCL8, CXCL10, IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α” and antiviral receptors like “DDX58” in immune cells. The research showed that vitamin B6 has a global anti-inflammatory effect on immune responses, which is crucial for supporting the body’s antiviral defenses through immune modulation. [8]

Furthermore, according to groundbreaking 2023 research published in Microorganisms, vitamin B12 demonstrated “potent antiviral activity” against SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and human coronavirus 229E through both computational and laboratory studies. The study found that vitamin B12 “has crucial roles in metabolic processes, the cardiovascular and circulatory systems, and the control of the immune system and antiviral activities” establishing B vitamins as important immune-supporting nutrients with direct antiviral properties. [9]

I suggest you also check this research paper for the effects of Vitamin B6 Deficiency on the Composition and Functional Potential of T Cell Populations.

Some of the best selling Vitamin B6 supplements sold on Amazon are:

4. Monolaurin

Monolaurin is a type of fat found in Raw, Organic Coconut Oil or in Breast Milk. The renowned Dr. Eric Berg calls it the best remedy for viruses. According to Dr, Berg, Monolaurin is a super concentrated lauric acid that has the ability to dissolve with a cell’s lipid layer giving the layer an anti-viral property. The lipid layer around our cells is there to protect our cells from viruses.

According to a study published back when the Novel H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) was an issue when coconut oil is consumed, it can kill or inactivate pathogenic microorganisms inside the body. The antiviral action, attributed to monolaurin (the monoglyceride of lauric acid), is that of solubilizing the lipids and phospholipids in the envelope of the pathogenic organisms causing the disintegration of their outer membrane. [10]

Another 2023 study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, monolaurin showed powerful virus-fighting effects by “inhibiting viral replication by up to 80%” in lab tests and “reduced clinical manifestations, viral load, and organ damage” in infected animals. The study also found that “monolaurin significantly reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines and promoted the release of interferon-γ”, which means it both fights viruses directly and helps the body’s immune system work better to clear out infections. [11]

Furthermore, according to 2025 research published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, healthcare workers with “higher serum monolaurin concentrations were significantly associated with a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection at both 3- and 6-month follow-ups” in a study of 1,000 people. This means that people who had more monolaurin naturally circulating in their blood were much less likely to catch COVID-19, showing that this supplement can help protect against viral infections in real-world situations. [12]

If you want some Monolaurin supplement recommendations, check these best selling items on Amazon:

5. NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)

Now, this is a supplement that you probably never heard about. Acetylcysteine is the N-acetyl-derivative of cysteine. It is used as a mucolytic agent to reduce the viscosity of mucous secretions.

According to this article by The Guardian, coronavirus causes inflammation in our lungs that causes an “outpouring of inflammatory material [fluid and inflammatory cells] into the lungs and we end up with pneumonia.”

N-Acetyl Cysteine is a precursor molecule of glutathione, one of the most powerful antioxidant molecules in the body. Specifically, glutathione helps protect cells and genetic information from oxidative damage caused by oxygen free radicals every day. For this reason, NAC is believed to have cardioprotective effects. [13]

• According to a 2023 study published in Pharmaceuticals, NAC treatment helped restore the body’s natural defense system in COVID-19 patients by increasing important protective molecules like glutathione and reducing harmful inflammation showing how this supplement supports the body’s ability to fight viral infections. [15] [16] [17]

• Furthermore, according to research published in Antiviral Research, NAC “reduced H5N1-induced cytopathogenic effects, virus-induced apoptosis and infectious viral yields” and “decreased the production of pro-inflammatory molecules” by blocking the body’s overactive inflammatory response while directly fighting the virus. [18]

• Additionally, according to a 2020 study in Antiviral Research, NAC “significantly alleviated the myocardial injury caused by CVB type 3” and “simultaneously suppressed viral replication and inflammatory response” by attacking viruses through multiple pathways while protecting infected tissues from damage. [19]

Cysteine is available in foods such as oats, corn, cheese, yogurt, white meats and eggs, but does not exist in the form of NAC and it offers many, many benefits.

Recommended NAC Supplements:

6. Green juice

Green Juices are all the craze right now in the health world and for a good reason. Green Juices are essential powerful herbs such as barley, alfalfa, moringa, wheat-grass, carrot, broccoli, chlorella, spirulina etc that are dried, powdered and mixed together in an all-natural supplement.

These herbs boast a blend of antioxidants‚ essential fatty acids‚ amino acids‚ and wonderful phytonutrients that collaborate to provide a myriad of health benefits.

Prebiotics‚ probiotics‚ and enzymes additionally support digestion and absorption of nutrients‚ while providing healthy flora for optimal stomach health that could support overall health‚ wellness‚ and longevity.

If you aren’t supplementing your self with a Green Juice product, then we urge you to start using one now. If you want to check the Green Juice powders we recommend, check this list BEST Green Juice to Buy and Everything You Need to Know in Between.

7. Garlic

We all know that garlic is a powerful natural, antiviral medicine. Garlic might be the most effective antibiotic found in nature as it can help alleviate ear infections, coughs, colds, pneumonia, and other infections.

A 2024 research review by Virology Research Services, researchers from Zhejiang University found that allicin “showed significant antiviral activity against both the latent and lytic phases” of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, making it promising for treating hard-to-treat viral infections that hide in the body. [20]

Another study published in Frontiers in Microbiology, concluded that allicin treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected lung cells “led to a ∼60–70% decrease of viral RNA and infectious viral particles” while also reducing the body’s excessive inflammatory response to the virus. [21]

Furthermore, according to a comprehensive 2020 systematic review, garlic compounds demonstrated “potential antiviral activity against different human, animal and plant pathogenic viruses through blocking viral entry into host cells, inhibiting viral RNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase, DNA synthesis” and enhancing immune function to prevent viral infections. [22]

In a study published back in 2004, adults with warts caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), they applied garlic extract to affected areas twice daily and eliminated warts after 1–2 weeks. [23]

Additional studies have shown that garlic has antiviral activity against influenza A and B, HIV, HSV-1, viral pneumonia, and rhinovirus. [24]

Bottom Line

We hope you enjoyed our article on the best antiviral supplements to boost your immune system and fight back the virus. Share these best antiviral supplements with your friends and family and urge them to add them to their daily life. It’s for their own good and you know it.