Echinacea, also known as purple coneflower, is a native plant long used by native North Americans to treat everything from measles to colds to snakebite. From the 1870s to the 1920s, some North American physicians prescribed it for a variety of illnesses, including colds. Although its use waned, research continued in Europe, and echinacea is now making a big comeback as an herbal remedy in the United States and Canada.
Medicinal herbs have garnered much interest in recent years in North America. However, the debate about the efficacy of such products – echinacea among them – rages on. In Germany, a government organization known as Commission E – the world’s leading authority on the safety and efficacy of herbs – has approved the use of echinacea, taken orally, in the treatment of colds, the flu, and urinary tract and respiratory infections.
Additionally, an article in the ‘Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association’ states, "Echinacea may be recommended by pharmacists for prevention of colds and influenza or amelioration of their symptoms."
Several compounds in echinacea appear to boost the immune system temporarily by stimulating the body to make more white blood cells to fight off bacteria and viruses. These act as the first line of defense against colds and the flu.
In human studies, the right dose appears to help prevent colds and the flu, or at least helps people recover faster. One German study of 180 otherwise healthy volunteers revealed that those who took one tablespoon (180 drops) a day of echinacea tincture had fewer and less severe symptoms, and they got over their illnesses about two days earlier than those who took a placebo. Half that dose provided no benefit. Another German study of 108 people prone to respiratory infections found that 36 percent more of those taking echinacea were healthier over the next eight weeks and that the infections they did get were shorter and less severe than those suffered by people taking placebos.
Echinacea appears to be safe for short-term use. Since little is known about its effects over the long term, it’s advisable to take it for no more than eight weeks at a time.
Commercial preparations vary widely in the amount of active ingredient they contain (some have up to three times more than others do). If you decide to try it, look for "standardized," fresh-pressed juice in 22 percent alcohol. Take 1-1/2 teaspoons twice a day. Hold the dose on your tongue as long as possible.
Immunity usually increases within three to five days and declines about two weeks after you stop. Take echinacea for no longer than eight weeks, then wait at least two weeks before taking it again.
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