Echinacea

Echinacea purpurea

Native American Sioux Indians used Echinacea  centuries ago as a ‘ remedy for more ailments than any other plant,’ a universal antidote for sore throats, swollen glands, infective conditions, bites, stings, toothache and rabies.

It was introduced into standard medical practice in the 1800’s and the eclectic physicians used Echinacea for a multitude of conditions including fevers, gangrene, scarlet fever, small pox, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis and indeed any and every infectious disease with snake bite thrown in for good measure.

Echinacea was then prescribed by traditional doctors and produced by pharmaceutical companies until, with the arrival of antibiotics, it fell out of favour.  Currently, with a greater understanding of the limitations of antibiotics and an increasing unwillingness to take them, Echinacea has become popular once more.
Echinacea is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in Western Herbal medicine.  It is used as an immune stimulant and therefore fills an ever increasing need in a society where the immune system is constantly weakened and stressed by modern lifestyles.

Echinacea root stimulates the white blood cells of the immune system and increases the body’s ability to fight infection. It may also have antifungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity.

High-quality extracts of Echinacea, in effective doses, reduce the intensity of symptoms and hasten recovery from infectious disease.  A significant problem today is the adulteration and substitution of Echinacea with other species and this has the potential to seriously harm the public standing of herbal medicine.  The most common adulterant is Parthenium integrifolia, (Missouri snake root,) which is more easily gathered and consequently cheaper than Echinacea.  In 1987, the American Herbal Association considered that most of the ‘Echinacea’ sold in the U.S.A. was actually Parthenium.  Recently in Germany, scientists announced the discovery of four new compounds in Echinacea; only to discover later that they were in fact testing Parthenium.  Chemical analysis has shown that much of the Echinacea in Australia is in fact Parthenium thus, as with any herbal product, it is vital to obtain Echinacea from a reliable source.

Echinacea is of proven benefit for the treatment of any acute bacterial or viral infection.  It’s effect is to lessen the degree and shorten the duration of an infection, especially if given in frequent high doses.

Modern experience has shown that an even more effective role for Echinacea is that of prevention of bacterial and viral infections.  This is of great relevance in a community where the incidence of viral infection is increasing at an alarming rate and antibiotic resistance has emerged in many species of bacteria.

There are many studies supporting Echinacea’s use as an immune stimulant, immune modulator, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

There is evidence of an accelerated immune response after antigen exposure; enhanced tissue resistance to spread of infection; antiviral activity towards herplex simplex; antifungal activity; and antibacterial activity against many organisms including E. coli, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus aureus.

In many clinical trials, Echinacea has been shown to decrease the severity and duration of upper respiratory infections.  The following are a few examples.

• Eighty adults experiencing the first signs of a cold were either given Echinacea or a placebo.  Echinacea was well tolerated and found to shorten the duration of the illness by three days.
• Highly stressed medical students were given Echinacea for fifteen weeks and showed a reduced incidence of infections compared to placebo.
• Treatment with Echinacea early in the onset of cold or influenza, relieved symptoms in a shorter time than placebo.
• Patients with sinusitis given a herbal mix containing Echinacea as well as an antibiotic, had better x-ray results and better relief of symptoms than those on antibiotic alone.

Cautions and Contraindications.
Known allergy to the Compositae family.
Long-term use in transplant patients or with prescription immunosuppressants.