Origin/ overview:
Echinacea, referred to as purple cone flower is one of the most favorite medicinal plants in America. It’s a native American beautiful plant that’s easier to grow. It is probably the most favorite and most respected medicinal plant of the Native Americans of the Plains area.
Medicinal Purpose
Today the primary use for Echinacea is related to colds and flu.
The best available clinical trial evidence suggest that root and above ground portions of Echinacea Purpurea, the widely popular purple cone flower have benefits for either preventing symptoms of cold or flu or reducing severity and duration of cold and flu when used at the appropriate time.
Efficacy
The safety of Echinacea is well-established but it’s efficacy is sometimes questioned because there’s been so much publicity promoting in the media some of these high-profile negative findings in some of the major medical journals.
However, if you look at some of those studies you find that there’s flaws that in many ways invalidates the conclusion of those studies.
One of the most high-profile and impactful clinical studies that came out negative, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, that dosage of Echinacea Angustifolia extract used in that trial was one third the dosage recommended by the World Health Organization, Canadian governments, and other respected bodies regarding how much people should take.
Preparations
Probably the most popular form of Echinacea preparations sold in North America today are liquid extracts made with water and alcohol. These are sold in small bottles usually one to two ounces with a little dropper type cap on them.
Recommended Dosage
People can take one to two to three droppers full in water or directly on the tongue if they like the flavor.
One thing that herbalist a nd naturapathic physicians and other people who utilize Echinacea frequently, constantly suggest is that people should immediately use Echinacea at the very first signs of a sore throat, that tickle in the throat or the first sniffle. Waiting an extra day or two often is too late. The research shows that Echinacea helps to improve immune system response so it makes sense to use it at the first signs, first symptoms of a potential cold and flu so that you can help your body fight the infection.
Reference:
Blumenthal Mark, Herbal Insight: Echinacea (2011) Healing Quest
Research
Keri Marshall is a naturopathic physician who closely monitors the latest developments in herbal and botanical medicine, found particular significance in a five-year federal study on the immune boosting benefits of echinacea especially the polysaccharides in it’s flowers and leaves. They have immune stimulatory effects so it actually will decrease the frequency of colds. The research cited by Dr. Marshall was conducted by Gaia herbs, an organic herbal supplement company in North Carolina. It was funded by NCCAM, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the study found that echinacea has two very different health benefits. The research that’s come out of NIH has really been profound because it shown that the two parts of the echinacea plant will decrease the frequency of colds.
Echinacea bioactive compound:
1. The roots – when harvested in the fall yield alkylamides which can quickly reduce the duration the severity of colds and respiratory problems.
2. The flowering tops – when harvested in the spring release polysaccharides that stimulate and boosts the immune system on an ongoing basis.
So these chemicals have been found in-vitro to be very highly immuno supportive.
The way they do that is by their effects on the natural immune cells within the body.
The findings from the NCCAM study have been made available in a number of botanical and natural medicine journals.
Echinacea Controversies:
Ric Scalzo, Gaia Herbs founder and CEO says consumers need to know that the science supporting echinacea is growing but he also acknowledges that echinacea has been the subject of some debate. There is conflicting information about echinacea in the media and amongst the scientific community. There’s no doubt about it. We’ve heard it, we read about it and it is true, it exists. And I think the problem with that conflicting information is just what we’re speaking about here that the distinctions have not been made today between the different parts of echinacea and the different chemistries of echinacea and how they are used and applied in study design.
Useful for:
So if we’re looking at a person who is stressed out meaning they don’t get enough sleep, they are working too much, they have kids, they are not eating three solid meals and lots of fruits and vegetables in their diet, that’s a person who’s going to be prone to getting more colds.
Echinacea for sickness prevention
If you provide them with immune polysaccharides such as echinacea, the aerial parts of echinacea then that will actually enable them to not get sick as often.
Buying
Scalzo says echinacea is increasingly being grown with organic farming methods which enhanced purity and he says it’s safe for children as well as adults. Scalzo says he’s confident that echinacea properly harvested and formulated can reduce the number and severity of colds and respiratory problems throughout the year by building our immune system.
But finding an echinacea product that can deliver those benefits is not easy. Given the profusion of products on the market. Scalzo recommends consulting an experienced herbalists, a health food store professional whose been trained in herbal preparations or naturopathic physician.
Dosage for well-formulated echinacea preparations:
You can take a couple of capsules just a couple of times a day. – Keri Marshall, ND
Advice:
Even though echinacea is one of the top selling herbs in the country, he says much more can still be done with it to build our immune systems all year long.
Reference:
All notes are from:
- Healing Quest: Echinacea for Colds and Flu (2011) Healing Quest | Interview with Mark Blumenthal
- Herbal Insight: Does Echinacea Work? (2011) Healing Quest | Interview with Mark Blumenthal
- Healing Quest: Echinacea Immune System Research (2009) Healing Quest | Interview with Keri Marshall, Naturapathic Physician & Ric Scalzo, Gaia Herbs Founder and CEO
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