The Minster Practice, Lichfield

Echinacea

Page updated 13/03/2007

Traditional Uses

Power to heal wounds and boost the immune system. Medicinal use first recognised by Native American tribes.

As it contains stimulant compounds, it could do harm but the number of people taking it without reporting problems suggests that it is relatively harmless. However, there is no database to collect details of adverse reactions and no details of any drug interactions.

Common Cold

The evidence is divided neatly into positive and negative results for both prevention and treatment of colds.

Studies published in Clinical Infectious Diseases 2004 (48 healthy adults exposed to the virus after echinacea three times a day or placebo) and Journal of the American Medical Association (children aged 2 -11 given echinacea or placebo for 10 days after the onset of a cold) and Annals of Internal Medicine (148 US university students with the start of a cold given unrefined echinacea or placebo) failed to show a difference between the active and placebo groups.

Another study in 1999, funded by a manufacturer, found that concentrated echinacea reduced symptoms.

For information on the condition, prevention and treatment see: http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/associates/cold/home.html

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Standardisation of product

The lack of standardisation may be the reason behind the wide range of results obtained in studies. The three species of echinacea used in medicine (purpurea, angustifolia and pallida), various parts of the plant (root, stem and flower), different harvest times and the method of preparation (tincture, extract in water, extract in alcohol, tablet) all combine to lead to different products. These products may act in different ways; some effective and some ineffective.