Echinacea: Nature's Cold Cure?

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28 Dec 2007 IT’S that time of year when many of us begin to feel the all-too-familiar first symptoms of the common cold. With conventional medicine unable to cure the condition it’s little wonder that many have turned to alternative treatments for help.

Echinacea, a wild flower originally used by American Indians to help treat everything from coughs and colds to snakebites, is perhaps the most well-known herbal remedy for the condition. In fact, such is the fame of Echinacea’s ability to ease the common cold that it is now even acknowledged by the World Health Organisation as a treatment for the condition.

Now, new research has given perhaps the strongest indication yet that it actually works.

THE LATEST RESEARCH
Researchers led by Dr Craig Coleman at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy (ref 1) analysed 14 previous studies into the herb and found that it cut the chances of catching a cold by an average of 58 per cent.

The team also found that taking the herb also shortens the length of a cold by an average of 1.4 days. By pooling the previous research the scientists found that while all studies showed a reduction in the length of a cold, the amount varied from more than three days to less than one.

HOW DOES ECHINACEA WORK?
It is not known exactly how the plant works and more studies are needed to establish this, however it is thought that it may affect our immune system.

The theory is that certain elements within echinacea, such as polysaccharides and phenolic compounds, activate white blood cells, which help the body defend itself against infections. (ref 2,3,4,5,6,7)

It is as yet unclear which part of the plant is most effective – the root, the flower or the stem – or which of the three main types of the plant help most.

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REFERENCES
1. Lancet Infectious Diseases, June 2007
2. Wagner, H and Proksch, A; immunostimulatory drugs of fungi and higher plants: Economic Medicinal Plant Research, 1985, 1, pp. 113-53.
3. Wagner, H and Proksch, A; Riess-Maurer, I et al; immunostimulating ploysaccrides (heteroglycans) of higher plants: Arzneim-Forsch, 1985, 35, pp. 1,069-75.
4. Vomel, V; Influence of a non-specific immune stimulant on phagocytosis of erythrocytes …. Arzneim-Forsch, 1985, 35, pp. 1,069-75.
5. Stimpel, M ; Proksch, A; Wagner, H; et al; Macrophage activation and induction of macrophage cytotoxcity by purified polysaccharide frctions from the plant Echinacea purpurea: Infection Immunity, 1984, 46, pp.845-9.
6. Mose,J; Effect of echinacin on phagocytosis and natural killer cells: Med. Welt; 1983, 34, pp. 1,463-7.
7. Wacker, A and Hilbig, W; Virus inhibition by Echinacea purpurea: Planta Medica, 1978, 33, pp. 89-102.

ECHINACEA: NATURE'S COLD CURE?