One of the most widely used herbs in America right now is echinacea. Native Americans gave the medicinal herb echinacea its name because of the prickly scales that mimic the enraged hedgehog’s spines on its enormous conical seed head (echinos is Greek for hedgehog).
Native Americans may have used echinacea for more than 400 years to treat wounds and illnesses as well as a general “cure-all,” according to archaeologists who have discovered evidence of this. Echinacea has been used historically to treat blood poisoning, diphtheria, syphilis, malaria, and scarlet fever. Although this herb was widely used in the 18th and 19th centuries, its use started to diminish in the US once antibiotics were developed. In Germany, echinacea preparations gained popularity during the course of the 20th century. In actuality, Germany has been the site of the majority of echinacea scientific research.
Today, individuals take echinacea to lessen the severity of the common cold and flu and to lessen symptoms including fever, coughing, and sore throats (pharyngitis). Echinacea is another plant that many herbalists advise taking to help the body fight infections and strengthen the immune system.
General Uses
Echinacea may include active ingredients that improve immunological function, ease pain, lessen inflammation, and have hormonal, antiviral, and antioxidant effects, according to a number of laboratory and animal studies. Because of this, qualified herbalists may suggest echinacea as a treatment for slow-healing wounds, ear infections, athlete’s foot, sinusitis, vaginal yeast (Candida) infections, ear infections, otitis media, hay fever, and slow-healing wounds. Echinacea and cichoric acid may help suppress colon cancers, according to preliminary laboratory studies. According to one study, using echinacea extract before contracting the herpes simplex virus (HSVI) may have an antiviral effect on the recurrence of cold sores.
Common Cold
It is debatable if echinacea aids in the prevention or treatment of the common cold. According to certain research, the herb can hasten your recovery. Others claim that echinacea has no effect at all on a cold. According to several clinical studies, persons who take echinacea as soon as they start to feel unwell have milder colds and experience less symptoms than those who do not. In a study of 95 patients who had fever, runny nose, scratchy throat, and other early signs of the flu and cold, it was discovered that those who drank many cups of echinacea tea daily for five days felt well more quickly than those who drank tea without the herb.
Echinacea decreased cold risk by 58 percent and cold duration by 1 to 4 days, according to a study of 14 clinical trials. Some experts, however, contest these results, arguing the research had a number of flaws. Clinical trials have used a variety of echinacea formulations. It’s crucial to get a high-quality echinacea supplement and to start taking it as soon as a cold starts, numerous times each day for the first few days. For advice, consult your health care practitioner.
Is echinacea supported by science?
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.
Does echinacea have any effects?
People frequently look for all-natural cold treatments and immune boosters during the cold and flu season. Colds are said to be both prevented by and cured with echinacea for many years. However, there is conflicting data in support of the herbal supplement, and it is challenging to examine due to its various formulations.
the title “Nearly ten species of flowering herbs are referred to as echinacea, and one or more of these species are used in echinacea supplements. Either the plant’s above-ground components or its underground roots can be used to create them (or both). Due to all this variation, there is dispute among professionals regarding the advantages of echinacea.
“According to Dr. Ronald Turner, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, his 2005 study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “found no evidence for an effect of echinacea on common cold diseases.” Turner and his associates used a variety of echinacea preparations, prepared from the Echinacea angustifolia species’ roots, to treat participants in that study. When it comes to preventing colds or lowering their severity, the echinacea supplements did not outperform the placebo.
According to other professionals, echinacea may be beneficial. “According to Kelly Kindscher, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Kansas and the author of an echinacea textbook, echinacea is well-liked because it does workâat least for some people. Kindscher claims that while some clinical studies have not demonstrated the efficacy of echinacea, others have discovered advantages.
In a 2010 study, echinacea was compared to a placebo and no treatment at all in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It discovered indications that echinacea performed better than both in terms of shortening the duration of the common cold, although these advantages were not statistically significant. There was no proof that echinacea could stop colds, according to a 2006 assessment. However, it did uncover evidence that suggests products containing the species Echinacea purpurea may shorten the duration and symptoms of a cold.
A 2014 analysis, however, acknowledged echinacea with “just marginally effective in protecting people from colds. Echinacea received a more enthusiastic recommendation in a 2015 evaluation, which found that it may lower a person’s risk of colds by 35%. How? Dr. Andreas Schapowal, the initial author of that 2015 review and a former lecturer at Hannover Medical School in Germany, speculates that echinacea may function by boosting the reaction of natural killer cells and other immune system fighters as well as by blocking the action of specific viral proteins.
Echinacea and the immune system
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.
Do viruses benefit from echinacea?
Commercial Echinacea extracts generally have poor characterization and standardization, which is a problem shared by many other herbal products. Therefore, diverse commercial sources with distinct chemical compositions, sourced from various species and plant sections, may exhibit a variety of bioactivities, or in some cases, very little bioactivity [17]. As a result, research investigations, particularly clinical trials, have produced erratic outcomes. The assay methods should take this requirement into account in order to verify that any antiviral activity found in a herbal preparation is actually significant, meaning the extract should be able to inactivate a large amount of virus at a realistic non-cytotoxic dosage.
Early studies on the antiviral properties of echinacea [18] suggested that a variety of methanol and aqueous extracts from E. purpurea could be able to partially shield cultured cells from infection by the influenza A virus, herpes simplex virus type 1, or vesicular stomatitis viruses. Although the potential for virucidal activity was not mentioned, this implied an intracellular inhibition.
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 adverse events reported, indicating the relative safety of this herbal therapy. 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.
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.
Those who shouldn’t use 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.
Echinacea: Does it lessen inflammation?
Echinacea has been found in numerous trials to help lessen overactive inflammation. Echinacea chemicals reduced significant inflammatory markers and inflammation-related memory loss in a mouse research ( 20 ).
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.
Can echinacea be taken continuously?
editor’s note Dr. Kligler’s review1 of echinacea was thorough, succinct, and effectively summed up the research supporting the well-known herb. 1 His review stated that the usage of echinacea has not been associated with any recognized medication interactions. Echinacea should not be used with other medications known to be hepatotoxic, such as amiodarone, methotrexate, and ketoconazole, even though there have been no reports of any significant drug interactions with echinacea. This is because it has been suggested that using echinacea for longer than eight weeks may cause hepatotoxicity. 2 Hepatotoxicity may become more common even when acetaminophen and echinacea are used together. 3 This is particularly crucial because acetaminophen and echinacea are regularly used to treat the cold’s symptoms.
Echinacea also has the ability to suppress the immune system when used for a prolonged period of time (greater than eight weeks), in contrast to the acute immunostimulatory effects of the herb.
4 This could be one reason why prior research on the use of echinacea for the prevention of colds failed to demonstrate any benefits, as most trials included patients who took the supplement for more than eight weeks.
Echinacea should, in my opinion, only be used for acute illnesses for a maximum of two weeks. I think it’s best to avoid using echinacea on a regular basis because it can increase the risk of hepatotoxicity, may have the ability to suppress the immune system, and hasn’t been proven to be effective in preventing colds. Despite the fact that there are no known pharmacological interactions with echinacea, we still need to keep a close eye out for any possible interactions and side effects.
In response, I concur with Dr. Chua that echinacea use for an extended period of time should be avoided because there is no proof that doing so prevents upper respiratory infections. But there isn’t enough proof to support the claim that echinacea causes liver damage. The presence of alkaloids in the pyrrolizidine family in specific portions of the echinacea plant gave rise to the first worries about hepatotoxicity with long-term usage of echinacea. Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are known to be hepatotoxic when used over an extended period of time. But isotussilagine and tussilagine, two pyrrolizidine alkaloids discovered in echinacea, have a saturated nucleus. 1 As of right now, there is no evidence that this group of pyrrolizidines is hepatotoxic. Therefore, I believe that Dr. Chua’s suggestion to avoid taking acetaminophen and echinacea together is not supported by the available research and may cause unjustified concerns for medical professionals and patients over the usage of this plant. It is also noteworthy that despite echinacea’s extensive use, there have been no reported cases of serious hepatotoxicity associated with it.