To determine pediatric dose, see your child’s pediatrician or a herbalist with experience treating young patients.
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.
What results from daily echinacea use?
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.
Can I take echinacea in large doses at once?
Depending on the product, different echinacea dosages are advised. The most frequently prescribed medication in the US is a liquid extract of the E. purpurea root, which is typically dosed at 3 mL every three to four hours for the first one to two days of upper respiratory sickness and then three times per day for the following week. Patients utilizing echinacea tea (prepared from the root of E. angustifolia or E. purpurea) must start with greater doses, usually 6 to 8 oz four times per day for the first two days before reducing it to once or twice per day on days three to seven.
Can you continuously take echinacea?
The more frequent echinacea adverse effects are as follows:
- headaches
- dizziness
- feeling unwell
- belly pain
- constipation
- skin repercussions (redness, itchiness and swelling)
- Children are more likely to have them.
Echinacea use for longer than 8 weeks at a time may cause liver damage or immune system suppression. If you are taking medications known to have an adverse effect on your liver, herbalists advise against taking echinacea.
If you use any additional medications, herbs, or supplements, check with your doctor first.
Using echinacea safely
If you want to substitute echinacea for your cancer therapy, let your doctor know. Additionally, if you are considering taking it concurrently with your cancer therapy.
In some people, it may not be safe to use in conjunction with other cancer treatments.
Echinacea may impair the effectiveness of some chemotherapy medications, including etoposide.
Sometimes pharmacists and medical professionals advise lymphoma patients not to consume echinacea. This is so that it won’t affect how they’re being treated.
Researchers discovered that echinacea and etravine were safe to ingest together in HIV-positive individuals.
If any of the following apply to you before consuming echinacea:
- are breastfeeding or pregnant
- have a medical condition like autoimmune illness, HIV, or AIDS that impairs your immune system
- are medicating to weaken your immune system because it might fight them
- are under 12 years old
- There is a possibility of allergic responses including skin rashes, according to the medical health regulatory association (MHRA).
Always discuss the use of complementary or alternative cancer therapy with your doctors and nurses. They could affect how well your other therapies work.
Your treatment team can point you in the direction of further resources if they don’t have the knowledge you need.
How to take Echinacea?
Use echinacea precisely as instructed on the label or as your doctor instructs. Never use more, less, or for a longer period of time than advised.
Consult your doctor before considering the usage of herbal supplements. You might also think about speaking with a doctor who specializes in the use of herbal remedies and dietary supplements.
If you decide to use echinacea, follow the instructions on the bottle or those provided by your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. Use only as much of this product as the label instructs.
At the earliest indication of a cold, echinacea is said to work best. Echinacea might lessen the severity of cold symptoms even if it may not be able to prevent a cold.
Echinacea topical (for the skin) shouldn’t be consumed orally. This product’s topical forms should only be applied to skin.
Echinacea should not be used concurrently in any form (tablets, liquid, tincture, teas, etc.) without consulting a doctor. Combining multiple formulas ups the likelihood of an overdose.
If the problem you are using echinacea to treat does not get better or if it worsens while taking this medication, contact your doctor right once.
Take the next dose as scheduled and skip the missed one. Never combine two dosages into one.
Does echinacea strengthen your defenses?
Echinacea may boost your immune system, enabling you to combat viral or bacterial colds and flu. According to certain studies, the echinacea plant includes compounds that aid in the production of white blood cells by your body. These white blood cells function as part of your immune system to combat infection when your upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth, and throat) becomes infected.
But a 2014 research that examined two dozen additional studies discovered only flimsy proof that echinacea supplements actually work to treat colds. Echinacea may help treat colds, but it has not been demonstrated to hasten the onset of a cold.
Several different infections may be repelled by echinacea. According to some research, echinacea helps treat ear infections, urinary tract infections, and slow-healing cuts and wounds. Even though echinacea can occasionally assist with small illnesses, if the issue persists, you should visit a doctor.
Are echinacea pills healthy to take?
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 investigation to cause cancer cell death (25).
In another experiment, echinacea plant extracts (Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Echinacea pallida) destroyed colon and pancreatic cancer cells in test tubes by inducing apoptosis, or regulated cell death (26).
It is thought that the immune-stimulating components 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.
Does echinacea really work as it claims to?
Mixed findings have emerged from studies. Echinacea extracts do appear to affect the immune system, your body’s line of protection against pathogens. According to research, it boosts the quantity of white blood cells, which fight illnesses. The herbal medicine had a very little advantage in avoiding colds, according to an analysis of more than a dozen research that was published in 2014.
However, neither children nor adults who took echinacea for a cold reported any relief from it in two trials supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
However, because different studies examine different echinacea varieties and potencies as well as various plant or root portions, it might be challenging to compare the findings of several studies. There’s a chance that certain variations are superior to others. Additionally, it’s probable that the herbal cure will work against some but not all of the more than 200 cold-causing viruses.
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.
Background
Two prior human studies have shown the echinacea angustifolia extract’s (EP107TM) immediate anxiolytic effects. This investigation’s objectives were to look at echinacea angustifolia’s anxiolytic and mood-lifting effects over a longer period of time with a larger sample size.
Methods
108 individuals with mild-to-moderately severe anxiety were included in this 6-week, 3-arm, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised controlled experiment. They were then randomly assigned to receive either a placebo, 20 mg, or 40 mg of echinacea angustifolia twice daily. Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale (CUXOS), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Short Form-36 (SF-36), and Bergen Insomnia Scale were some of the outcome measures used (BIS).
Results
Based on information gathered from 104 participants, both echinacea doses were linked to overall decreases in anxiety, even though these effects were comparable to those of a placebo. In contrast to the placebo, both doses of echinacea were linked to higher improvements in the PANAS positive and negative affect scores as well as the SF-36 emotional wellbeing score.
Conclusions
Adults with mild-to-moderately severe anxiety did not experience higher reductions in anxiety when the echinacea angustifolia extract (EP107TM) was given for 6 weeks at doses of 40 and 80 mg daily in comparison to the placebo. However, there were bigger gains in both positive and negative affect, as well as emotional wellness, which may be an impact of antidepressants. Future trials will benefit from more research employing well-defined demographics and established outcome metrics.
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.
How effective is echinacea for sinus infections?
Traditional medicine has long employed the plant’s leaves and roots to reduce inflammation and boost immune response ( 1 ). It is well-known as a natural treatment for symptoms of the cold and flu, such as stuffiness, sneezing, and sinus pressure.