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Echinacea Reduces
the chance of getting a cold by 58% - and shortens duration of colds by 1.4
days!!
According to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, by Dr Craig Coleman from the University
of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, Hartford Hospital Connecticut.
Echinacea has been a popular herbal remedy for boosting the
immune system, and has been a widely speculated aid in fighting the common cold. Previously, scientific and medical experts lacked
hard statistic evidence proving the herbs effects.
Dr Coleman and his colleagues applied a rigorous set of
statistical methods when reviewing 14 trial studying the effects of Echinacea
on prevention and treatment of the common cold.
The researchers found that
1. Echinacea
decreased the odds of getting a cold by 58 percent.
2. Echinacea
reduced the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days.
Echinacea &
Vitamin C a likely powerful
combination. One of the studies
included the combination of Echinacea and Vitamin C. The combination reduced the odds of getting a
cold by an astounding 86%. As this was
only one study, the researchers suggested that while promising, more research
should be done.
Echinacea is the most commonly used herbal product or
"nutraceutical", a term used to describe food supplements used as
medicines.
The 3 types of Echinacea that are most commonly used for medicinal purposes are
Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea pallida, and Echinacea purpurea. All three of these medicinal species contain
the same chemical constituents but in different proportions. There are many different products that
contain Echinacea and all parts of the flower are used including the root, stem
and flower.
Scientist believe that the Echinacea’s alkamides, chicoric
acid and polysaccharides help to stimulate the immune system, yet are not sure
how. There is certainly much more to
learn.
With regard to Echinacea’s effects on
the common cold - the researchers were clear: "Published evidence supports
Echinacea's benefit in decreasing the incidence and duration of the common
cold."
However, they said that more research is needed to find out how safe Echinacea
is and to discover exactly what it does in the body.
"Large-scale randomised prospective studies controlling for variables such
as species, quality of preparation and dose of Echinacea, method of cold
induction, and objectivity of end points evaluated are needed before Echinacea
for the prevention or treatment of the common cold can become standard
practice," explained Coleman and colleagues.
While most herbal supplements and functional foods are generally considered
safe, it is always wise to discuss with your doctor any herbs or medicines you
are taking – including any interactions that those products may have. This is of even greater importance if you are
on prescription drugs and/or planning on taking high dosages of any items.
A recent study concluded that Echinacea can sometimes
interfere with drug treatment by moving the drug out of the body too fast.
"Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the
common cold: a meta-analysis."
The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2007; 7:473-480
DOI:10.1016/S1473-3099(07)70160-3
Sachin A Shah, Stephen Sander, C Michael White, Mike Rinaldi, and Craig I
Coleman.
Written by: Chris LaVoie
Writer: Doctor’s Choice - Healthy Living Now
Copyright: Doctor’s Choice Inc.
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