Before European colonists arrived, North American Plains Indians had been using echinacea plants extensively.
To cure bacterial infections, blood poisoning, headaches, pain, and cold symptoms, tribes employed it in a variety of herbal treatments. While the roots were chewed to heal toothaches and throat infections, external application was used to treat wounds, burns, and insect bites.
Echinacea extract has been used as a treatment for the common cold and flu since the 1950s, when antibiotics were first introduced, despite the fact that there is little clinical evidence to back this up.
The idea that echinacea can treat the common cold is one of the largest myths in the field of naturopathic medicine, however this is untrue. There is little to no proof that echinacea is a successful cold cure, despite the fact that there is substantial evidence that it can strengthen the immune system in a variety of ways.
Echinacea can, however, aid in the development of white blood cells, reduce inflammation, and treat infections.
Nine of the top health advantages of echinacea are listed below:
Support White Blood Cells and Strengthen Immunity
While there are still many unanswered questions regarding echinacea’s effects on the body, it is apparent that it supports the activity of white blood cells. The plant helps white blood cells primarily in two ways:
- a problem for macrophages (a type of white blood cell)
- brings on dendritic cells (another type of white blood cell)
White blood cells called macrophages are responsible for destroying foreign substances and dead cells in the circulation.
They attract other white blood cells and release inflammatory cytokines once activated, which helps them fight infections.
Echinacea can stimulate natural killer cells in a way that lessens irritation from inflammation by raising macrophage activity.
White blood cells called dendritic cells aid the body in identifying foreign substances. The release of immunological molecules like IL-1beta and TNF-alpha may be enhanced by echinacea, which may also improve dendritic function.
In a 2007 mouse trial that was reported in the Journal of Medicinal Food, mice received echinacea extract treatment for seven days before to receiving a sheep’s red blood cell immunization.
“These data suggest that echinacea is a wide-spectrum immunomodulator that regulates both innate and adaptive immune responses,” write the study’s authors.
Within the first two weeks of dosing in a comparable rodent study, echinacea considerably raised total white blood cell counts.
Fight Infection
Researchers discovered that the alkamides in echinacea can treat fungal infections by dissolving fungal cell walls in a 2014 study that was published in the journal Phytomedicine.
Echinacea might also be effective in treating the following infections:
- Influenza
- Herpes
- Rhinovirus
- Typhoid
- Yeast infections in the vagina
- infections of the urinary tract
- Syphilis
- Malaria
- gum illness
According to research, echinacea is effective at warding off illnesses in the following ways:
- Echinacea may reduce the likelihood of getting a cold by half, according to a meta-analysis of 14 clinical trials.
- Similar to this, a 2009 laboratory study found that echinacea can treat respiratory conditions by preventing the proliferation of viruses and the creation of cytokines.
- Similar to this, a 2015 meta-analysis found that echinacea’s antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties may lower the incidence of recurring upper respiratory tract infections.
- Echinacea may possess antibacterial activities against C. difficile, S pyogenes, H. influenzae, and P. acne, according to a 2010 study that was published in Phytomedicine.
- Researchers found that echinacea can destroy parasites in human cells in a different study from 2010.
Reduce Inflammation
Additionally, echinacea may lessen specific kinds of inflammation. For instance, a 2009 lab study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research discovered that taking echinacea helps reduce inflammation brought on by a viral illness.
Echinacea extracts can reduce inflammation in rats when applied topically and orally, according to a 2002 study.
Studies on humans have also shown promise. A three-day echinacea medication effectively reduced inflammation in six patients with cold and flu symptoms in a small pilot study.
Support Mental Health
Researchers evaluated the anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effect of Echinacea angustifolia extract on rats and humans in a 2013 study that was published in the journal Phytotherapy Research.
At doses ranging from 1000 to 3000 mg/kg of body weight, the herb successfully reduced anxiety-related behaviors in rats.
In addition, for a week, healthy adults with mild anxiety received 20–40 mg of echinacea extract once day. Three days of treatment with the increased dose of 40 mg resulted in a considerable reduction in anxiety. However, the lesser dose of 20 mg had no appreciable effects on anxiety.
Echinacea may affect the body’s cannabinoid receptors to provide its anti-anxiety properties, according to a 2015 investigation.
Echinacea extract may have antidepressant effects in rats through increasing L-DOPA, according to the findings of the same study (the amino acid precursor to dopamine).
Heal the Skin
By moisturizing the skin and minimizing wrinkles, echinacea purpurea cream may shield the skin from oxidative stress and lessen the appearance of aging.
The results of studies on echinacea and skin health are as follows:
- Echinacea cream was tested on 10 healthy volunteers between the ages of 25 and 40 in a 2010 human trial. Between 9.47 percent and 14.92 percent of wrinkles were reduced after a month of daily therapy.
- According to a different study, echinacea can stop hyaluronic acid from degrading (an important part of skin cells). The tissue becomes loosened and irritated when hyaluronic acid degrades.
- A study in the journal Planta Medica found that echinacea can shield collagen from the harm that UVA/UVB radiation causes from free radicals. In other words, echinacea might aid in sun protection for your skin.
- Echinacea was found to reduce inflammation brought on by the bacteria P. acnes in a 2011 study that was published in the journal Phytotherapy Research.
- A 2017 study found that echinacea may be used to treat atopic eczema. 49 participants in the trial received three months of topical echinacea therapy. By interacting with cannabinoid receptors in the skin, echinacea greatly reduced redness and edema.
May Relieve Asthma
According to recent research, echinacea preparations can prevent bronchial cells from secreting asthma-related cytokines.
In a 2015 animal study that was published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, researchers administered an oral echinacea complex for 14 days to guinea pigs with allergic asthma brought on by ovalbumin.
Both echinacea and the corticosteroid drug budesonide were found to be equally efficient at alleviating symptoms.
The authors of the study state that “Pharmacodynamic experiments have demonstrated considerable bronchodilatory and anti-inflammatory effects of echinacea complex that was comparable to those of traditional synthetic medicines. These findings offer a solid scientific foundation for the use of this plant as a complementary therapy for allergic airway illnesses like asthma.
May Reduce Pain
The Lakota were one of many Native American tribes who employed echinacea as a pain reliever.
It seems to work best in easing the discomfort brought on by sore throats, tonsillitis, herpes, measles, headaches, and toothaches.
According to a 2008 study that appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, echinacea extract may affect how painful sensations are perceived by blocking the TRPV1 receptor, which is the main target of many over-the-counter analgesic and anti-inflammatory medications.
E. angustifolia appears to have somewhat fewer anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties than E. purpurea extracts.
If you have asthma, is echinacea safe to take?
On March 7th, 2000, in San Diego According to information presented at a symposium of allergy and asthma experts here, alternative medications may genuinely offer advantages that can be proven in reliable laboratory trials, contrary to what doctors and mainstream scientists once mocked. However, other studies mentioned here show that these products have harmful side effects.
According to Xiu-Min Li, MD, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, “the use of traditional Chinese medicines has been expanding in Western countries in the past few years given the [reputation for effectiveness], low cost, and relative absence of adverse effects.” She adds that there isn’t much evidence to support or contradict the claims made for Chinese medicines, nevertheless.
Li and colleagues at Mount Sinai and the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore created a mixture known as MTSD based on a well-known Chinese medicine to explore the effects of these herbal treatments on asthma. Their recipe differed slightly from the usual preparation. They put the recipe to the test on asthmatic mice and compared it to dexamethasone, a strong steroid medication occasionally used to treat asthma, as well as to ding-chan tang, another Chinese remedy.
When it came to lowering the lung’s excessive sensitivity to chemicals that triggered asthma attacks in the mice, MTSD was just as effective as dexamethasone. Although not as significant as the other two, DCT also had some impact. According to Li, MTSD also greatly reduced lung inflammation and mucus buildup, both of which can be lethal in the event of a severe asthma attack.
Dexamethasone reduced the immune system, while MTSD had a superior, more focused effect, according to her and her colleagues. Our findings imply that [MTSD] might have some therapeutic value in the management of allergic asthma, according to the author. This herbal remedy can be a suitable alternative.
The John James Medical Centre in Deakin, Australia’s Raymond J. Mullins, MB, cautions that alternative treatments should be used with care. According to him, echinacea can cause catastrophic, even fatal reactions in allergy sufferers.
Mullins looked into a database of adverse drug responses reported by Australian doctors and pharmacists after two of his patients experienced severe allergy and asthma episodes within 20 minutes of using echinacea products. Over 400 reports of herbal items were made to the database in the 1990s, 44 of which involved echinacea. The majority of those cases—more than half—were allergic reactions in people who were already known to have allergies to other things. There were hives, edema, and shock among symptoms. Hospitalization was necessary for four patients.
According to Mullins, echinacea is a blooming plant related to ragweed and daisies. In those who have allergies to substances found in all of those plants, it may cause asthma or an allergic reaction. Due to claims that “it may stimulate white blood cells to gobble up germs more effectively,” echinacea’s popularity in Australia has surged in recent years. Mullins cautions that such assertions are founded on words that have been taken out of context from academic works.
However, it is believed that 200 million doses are taken annually by Australians. More than 10% of the negative complaints concerning alternative medicine in Australia are related to echinacea reactions. However, Mullins cautions that “minor responses such as transitory rashes or aggravation of existing asthma are likely to go unrecognized and recorded,” thus this may be an underestimation.
The idea that natural implies safe needs to be questioned, he argues. “Risk assessments for herbal medications have not been done thoroughly. I advise against taking echinacea if you suffer from allergies, such as asthma, eczema, or hay fever.”
In whom should echinacea not 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.
What plant may treat asthma?
Researchers have been examining the usefulness of herbal mixtures used in traditional Chinese medicine for asthma for the past few decades.
One of these is the combination known as anti-asthma herbal medication intervention (ASHMI). This concoction contains ku shen, gan cao, and lingzhi, a type of fungus (sophora root). Some assert that, in contrast to steroid medicines, this herbal combination can keep your cortisol levels high while reducing airway tightness and inflammation.
The efficacy of ASHMI has been the subject of some investigations. According to a study done on mice, the herbal concoction reduced the symptoms of asthma.
In a different trial, 20 asthmatic non-smokers were tested to see how well the ASHMI worked. They discovered that the individuals accepted the herbs well and that ASHMI seemed to be safe.
Other Chinese herb blends, such the modified Mai Men Dong Tang, may be useful in the treatment of asthma. This herbal mixture relieved symptoms without having any negative side effects, according to a research involving 100 people with mild to moderate asthma. During the trial, all patients utilized the herbs in addition to their regular Western-style asthma treatments.
However, as many of these studies use animals or only a small number of participants, research is scarce.
Can echinacea make you feel breathless?
A tried-and-true method for boosting the body and healing disease is the usage of herbs. Herbs do, however, contain active ingredients that might cause adverse reactions and interact with other herbs, dietary supplements, and pharmaceuticals. For these reasons, you should only consume herbs under the guidance of a medical professional skilled in botanical medicine.
Echinacea should not be taken by anyone with tuberculosis, leukemia, diabetes, connective tissue disorders, multiple sclerosis, HIV or AIDS, any autoimmune diseases, or perhaps liver issues. There is some worry that echinacea may lessen the impact of immune system suppressing drugs. For this reason, this herb should not be consumed by organ transplant recipients who must take immunosuppressant drugs.
Echinacea can occasionally induce allergic reactions that range from a simple rash to anaphylaxis (a life-threatening reaction accompanied by throat tightening, shortness of breath, and, possibly fainting). These adverse events may be more likely to occur in those with asthma and allergies. Echinacea should not be taken by anyone who has a compositae plant allergy without a doctor’s supervision.
One case of someone who took echinacea to treat the flu developing erythema nodosum—a painful skin condition—has been documented.
Echinacea can temporarily numb and tingle the tongue when taken orally.
Evidence suggests that echinacea use during pregnancy does not raise the risk of birth abnormalities or other pregnancy-related health problems, despite worries that it may be hazardous for pregnant or nursing women. More study is required. Until more conclusive research is done, stay away from using Echinacea while pregnant or nursing.
Can echinacea make your chest feel tight?
- In patients with allergies, echinacea may result in an allergic reaction.
- People with asthma or atopy (a propensity for allergic eye, skin, food, or hay fever allergies) may be more likely to experience adverse reactions after ingesting echinacea or applying it topically.
- Allergic symptoms such skin hives, rash, itching, and redness have been reported.
- More severe symptoms have been reported by some patients, including tightness in the chest, breathing problems, and edema of the face, mouth, and lips.
- Echinacea may result in an irregular or abnormal heartbeat.
- Consult your doctor or pharmacist about the potential interactions between echinacea and your prescription medications.
Did you know that the CARM (Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring) is the place to go if you experience a negative drug side effect? Report a product’s side effect