The United States and Canada are home to the blooming plant echinacea. Additionally known as coneflower. It belongs to the family of plants known as daisies. For many years, echinacea has been used as a herbal treatment. The viruses that cause colds, sore throats, and the flu are now frequently prevented or treated with it.
Most drug stores and health food stores carry echinacea products. It is available as teas, pills, liquid extracts, capsules, or dried plants. It is one of the most widely used herbs in the country.
Path to improved health
Echinacea is frequently used as a dietary supplement to treat infections like the common cold. They contend that it strengthens the immune system. This improves the body’s ability to combat the infection. As a result, the illness might not persist as long. When feeling well, some people use it to avoid getting sick.
Consult your primary care physician before using echinacea to treat a cold or the flu. Make sure to conduct your study as well. Before being sold, dietary supplements do not require FDA approval. The components in some supplements may not be what is listed on the label. Look for a business that quality tests their goods. You will then be certain that you are acting appropriately.
Pay close attention to the package label. Echinacea is available in a wide range of doses and strengths. Additionally, it may be combined with other nutrients. Observe the instructions on the packaging. Take only the prescribed amount. It can be hazardous to take more than is advised.
The majority of companies advise against eating echinacea on an empty stomach. They advise drinking a lot of water or eating before taking it. Echinacea shouldn’t be taken for more than a few weeks. Long-term safety has not been sufficiently investigated.
Before taking echinacea or any supplements, consult your doctor. If it will conflict with any other medications you take, he or she can let you know. They can also suggest the appropriate dosage for you.
Keep all herbal products out of young children’s sight and reach. To prevent them from losing their potency, keep them in a cool, dry area. Avoid keeping them in restrooms, which tend to get warm and muggy.
Does it work?
On the impact of echinacea on the common cold, numerous studies have been conducted. Researchers have not yet discovered concrete proof of its efficacy. They don’t think that taking it as soon as a cold hits will make it go away faster. Taking it when you are healthy may somewhat lower your risk of contracting a cold.
What are the side effects?
Minor adverse effects are possible with echinacea. These symptoms can include nausea, dizziness, and a queasy stomach. Allergic reactions such as redness, swelling, and breathing difficulties are considered serious adverse effects. It may exacerbate asthmatic symptoms. Inform your doctor as soon as possible of any negative effects you have.
Daisy family plants can cause allergy reactions in some people. These could include chrysanthemums, marigolds, ragweed, daisies, or other flowers. This could increase your chance of experiencing an allergic reaction to echinacea.
Does echinacea benefit the stomach?
Dietitian Foote claims that after people taking echinacea questioned him about whether the herbal treatment might be the source of their diarrhea, he started the short study. The scientific literature study turned up nothing on the impact of herbal supplements on the gastrointestinal system.
So Foote and associates administered a standardized echinacea supplement containing 1,000 milligrams to 12 men and women daily (Echinamide from Natural Factors R&D, Canada). Before, during, and after the study participants took echinacea for 10 days, the researchers grew microorganisms from samples of their stools.
They discovered considerable alterations in the composition of the typical gut flora, including an increase in bacteroides.
“I don’t think it is a terrible concern if a person is taking echinacea for a short length of time and has a healthy gastrointestinal tract,” adds Foote. “However, when using echinacea or any other medication, they should watch out for any negative effects. It would be beneficial if we could encourage people to check for potential negative effects when using a herbal medicine.”
The Marchfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin’s research director Steven H. Yale, MD, has also investigated echinacea. The echinacea adverse effects Foote mentions are “rare,” according to Yale.
The study conducted by Foote and colleagues is published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics’ December issue.
Echinacea side effects: are there any?
Echinacea is probably short-term safe for the majority of people when taken orally. It is safe to utilize different echinacea products for up to 10 days. Some products, like Echinaforce (A. Vogel Bioforce AG), offer a six-month safe usage period.
The most frequent adverse reactions are rash, diarrhea, heartburn, constipation, and stomach pain. Some people may experience adverse responses, particularly those who are allergic to ragweed, mums, marigolds, or daisies.
Echinacea may be safe for short-term use when applied topically. Echinacea-containing cream (Linola Plus Cream) has been used safely for up to 12 weeks. Echinacea topical application may result in skin redness, itching, or rashes.
Why echinacea shouldn’t be taken?
Consult your doctor before using echinacea if you regularly take other medications. Additionally, if you smoke, use illegal substances, drink alcohol or caffeine-containing beverages, you should disclose this to your doctor. These might impact how echinacea functions.
If you have an autoimmune ailment (like lupus), an infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, echinacea may not be beneficial to you (AIDS). Before beginning to use echinacea, you should discuss with your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing.
Echinacea allergy risk may be increased if you have a history of allergies to daisies, ragweed, marigolds, chrysanthemums, or other related plants.
Does echinacea help with gastritis?
Echinacea is a potent and advantageous herb that people utilize all around the world to maintain their excellent health. The roots of the plant and the flower’s petals are both abundant in essential nutrients.
- helps to prevent viruses One of the finest remedies for the common cold is echinacea. It combats colds and viruses and aids in the activation of white blood cells, which are crucial to the body’s immune system.
- arthritic pain relief Its anti-inflammatory characteristics aid in easing the excruciating and irritating pain associated with arthritis.
- reduces abdominal pain Remember that “echinacea” has anti-inflammatory properties and helps alleviate inflammation and associated symptoms if you have gastritis.
- battles aphthae The oral sores are impacted by its antifungal effect, which speeds up recovery.
- clinical application Echinacea is used to treat eczema, psoriasis, burns, abscesses, and wounds.
negative effects The dangers appear to be minimal. Stomach discomfort is the most typical adverse effect. Allergic responses are possible in some people. If this occurs, you can encounter: • Rash • Worsening asthma symptoms • Angioedema (a life-threatening emergency that can cause difficulty breathing)
If you already have allergies to other members of the daisy family, you may be more susceptible to developing allergies to echinacea. Ragweed, chrysanthemums, and marigolds are a few examples. The use of echinacea while taking certain drugs may also be dangerous. Examples include several anti-fungal medications and some heart medication, such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone). Echinacea used with these medications has the potential to harm the liver. No one should take echinacea for longer than two months in a year, according to some specialists. Doctors do not currently have enough information on the herb’s long-term safety, despite the absence of any proof that it might be harmful after this point.
Adult
Take echinacea three times daily for the first ten days of a cold, flu, upper respiratory infection, or bladder infection to stimulate the immune system generally.
Echinacea should NOT be taken on an empty stomach. Take it with food or a big glass of water instead.
Can echinacea cause constipation?
Laurance S. Rockefeller and Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, serve as guest editors for Integrative Oncology.
In a controlled study, 437 participants were randomly assigned to receive prophylaxis (medication with echinacea from study day 7, before rhinovirus challenge, through study day 5), a placebo, or one of three echinacea extracts (virus challenge through study day 5, 3 times daily as a 1.5-mL tincture containing the equivalent of 300 mg of echinacea root). Echinacea did not appear to have any statistically significant benefits on infection rates or the intensity of symptoms, according to research (P values for difference in infection rate vs placebo, with the three extracts used, were .57, .46, and .22 respectively). 7
Prophylactic use of echinacea (3 capsules, twice daily for 8 weeks over the winter) had no discernible effect on the frequency of upper respiratory tract symptoms when compared to placebo in another randomized investigation involving 58 people. A individual in the echinacea group reported 9 sick days, compared to 14 in the placebo group (P =.67). 8
In addition, research testing echinacea’s potential to shorten the length and frequency of colds found conflicting results.
Additional analyses came to the conclusion that is not helpful in the treatment of colds11 and that the strength of the existing data does not support its recommendation for prevention.
12
An interesting finding was that an echinacea formulation (25 mL for 3 days, followed by 15 mL for 7 days) was just as effective as oseltamivir capsules in a multicenter randomized study of patients with early influenza symptoms (taken for 5 days, followed by 5 days of placebo, twice daily). Both groups experienced a same amount of time for symptom relief, however the echinacea group experienced fewer problems than the oseltamivir group (2.46 percent vs. 6.45 percent; P =.076). 13
The pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha and IL-6 are downregulated, whereas interleukins (IL) 2 and 8 are upregulated as a result of the immune-modulating actions of echinacea, according to mechanistic studies.
14 Additionally, echinacea extracts were discovered to promote phagocytosis, raise leukocyte mobility, encourage macrophage and lymphocyte secretion of TNF and IL-1, and enhance respiratory function. 15,16 Bioactive substance cichoric acid decreased telomerase activity and promoted death in human colon cancer cells by DNA fragmentation, caspase-9 activation, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, and downregulation of beta-catenin. 6
Echinacea frequently causes side effects such headache, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, gastrointestinal distress, and rash.
17-20 Dermatitis and anaphylaxis are rare responses. 20,21
- Use of echinacea concurrently with chemotherapy (cisplatin and etoposide) in a 61-year-old man with non-small cell lung cancer led to severe thrombocytopenia. 22
- A 32-year-old was diagnosed with severe thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura after taking echinacea for symptoms of an upper respiratory tract illness.
- 23
- Echinacea use worsened a 55-year-old man’s pemphigus vulgaris. After receiving immunosuppressant therapy once more, he was able to regain partial remission. 24
- A 51-year-old woman who used echinacea regularly developed asymptomatic leukopenia. Seven months after stopping the echinacea, her white blood cell count was back to normal. 25
- A 45-year-old guy who took heavy doses of echinacea had severe acute hepatitis as a result.
- 26
- A 2-year-old daughter was diagnosed with severe acute liver failure, which was most likely caused by echinacea toxicity.
- 27
- A 58-year-old man experienced hypereosinophilia after using echinacea, but his symptoms subsided once he stopped taking it.
- 28
- A 41-year-old man has been diagnosed with acute cholestatic hepatitis after taking echinacea to boost his immune system. He stopped taking echinacea, and his condition became better. 29
- Topical echinacea use has been linked to reports of conjunctivitis and eye irritation, with symptoms going away once use was stopped.
- 30
- Use of echinacea was linked in a large population-based study to a modest rise in diastolic blood pressure.
- 31
Brief overview
However, no studies utilizing Echinacea in the prevention or treatment of illnesses similar to COVID-19 have been found. Current research suggests that echinacea supplementation may reduce the duration and severity of acute respiratory tract infections. There were not many side events reported, indicating the relative safety of this herbal medication. Clinical studies have shown that Echinacea lowers levels of immunological molecules associated with cytokine storm, despite the fact that it might boost immune activity, which raises concerns that it can worsen over-activation of the immune system in cytokine storm.
Verdict
When given at the earliest sign of infection, Echinacea supplements may help with the symptoms of acute respiratory infections (ARI) and the common cold. No trials employing Echinacea in the prevention or treatment of illnesses like COVID-19, however, have been found. When taken at the outset of symptoms, Echinacea may lessen the intensity and/or duration of ARI, according to earlier research. E. purpurea or a mixture of E. purpurea and E. angustifolia having standardized levels of active components were employed in trials claiming benefit.
Echinacea use hasn’t been associated with many side effects, which suggests that this herbal remedy is generally harmless. No human studies using echinacea for up to 4 months could be found that showed cytokine storm symptoms.
The results were largely consistent with a reduction in the pro-inflammatory cytokines that are involved in the progression of cytokine storm and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), factors that are highly significant in the death of COVID-19 patients when looking at all human trials that reported changes in cytokine levels in response to Echinacea supplementation. Even though there isn’t any research on the therapeutic benefits of echinacea in the treatment of cytokine storms right now, this evidence shows that more study is necessary.
What contraindicates the use of echinacea?
What foods and medicines should I stay away from while taking echinacea? Avoid anything that contains caffeine, including coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks, and other items. Echinacea can intensify the negative effects of caffeine, including headache, rapid heartbeat, and jitteriness.
Can echinacea be taken with vitamin D?
Vitamin D3 and echinacea did not interact in any way. This does not imply that there are no interactions, though. Always get advice from your doctor.
What benefits does echinacea provide the body?
Echinacea extracts may inhibit the growth of cancer cells and even cause cancer cell death, according to experiments conducted in test tubes (25, 26).
An extract of Echinacea purpurea and chicoric acid, which is naturally present in echinacea plants, was demonstrated in one test-tube study to cause cancer cell death (25).
In another experiment, echinacea plant extracts (Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Echinacea pallida) killed colon and pancreatic cancer cells in test tubes by inducing apoptosis, or controlled cell death (26).
It is thought that the immune-stimulating properties of echinacea cause this effect (27).
Conventional cancer medicines like doxorubicin were once thought to interact with echinacea, but more recent investigations have found no evidence of this (28, 29).
Echinacea has been demonstrated to enhance skin health, blood sugar control, anxiety, and immunity. It might even possess anti-cancer qualities. However, there hasn’t been much human-based study on these advantages.