the zinc in Zicam is listed as ‘zincum acedicum’ and ‘zincum gluconicum’. When absorbed sub lingual (under the tongue) these have a high bioavailability. Thanks for your post-ping. Be well
Cell walls are the issue. Acidicum may or not be picolinate. It is a voodoo witch doctor homeopathy term. Picolinate is an acid. I suspect the second zinc in Zicam is zinc acetate. I have seen no studies on zinc acetate. I have seen it on zinc gluconate, the first zicam ingredient and as far as passing cell walls, it does not.
Almost all over the counter stuff marginally increases blood serum levels but the picolinate does that AND passes cell walls as is evidenced by increased zinc in hair and red blood cells. The other forms dont. HCQ seems to allow the other forms to traverse cell walls. For zinc to interfere with viral replication it has to get into the cell to gunk up the viral replication via hijacking cell machinery works. I may be right or I may be wrong about this being prophylactic but there is no downside.