The Truth about Echinacea purpurea
Have you ever wondered why the only trials on herbal remedies that seem to be reported in the press are negative ones? How irritating this is when we know full well that many, many people are being helped daily by simple, effective herbal remedies with no side effects. Actually there are many clinical trials showing the benefits of herbal medicines, but they don’t have shock value and are rarely reported.
Echinacea purpurea is probably the most popular herb in the UK. It is very well researched and, although we don’t know everything there is to know about it yet, we do have a great deal of information. This makes it possible for us to answer some of the assertions that still abound around the medicinal use of Echinacea purpurea.
Echinacea purpurea should only be used for five days/eight days/two weeks at a time.
Many time restrictions have been suggested, but they are not necessarily correct. There is no reason why Echinacea purpurea should not be used long term for up to eight weeks, at a maintenance dose, if you have a weak immune system and want to avoid getting colds all winter. However, if you are suffering from a cold or flu and your symptoms persist for longer than 10 days, you should go to your doctor.
Echinacea purpurea ‘stimulates’ your immune system.
This is probably the basis of the restricted use advice above. If Echinacea purpurea were stimulating your immune system, then obviously it would make sense not to use it long term. If, however, you are using a fresh herb tincture that has been carefully produced to ensure that it contains the correct balance of all the various ingredients in the plant, it will not ‘stimulate’ your immune system but research has shown that fresh herb tincture will modulate the immune system helping it to work more effectively if it is not working well at the time. If your immune system is working perfectly well, it will not use the Echinacea purpurea – the herb will pass harmlessly out of the body. This has been shown by clinical trials on healthy people1.
Echinacea purpurea improves the way the immune system recognises and kills bugs, jumping on them before they have a chance to cause trouble in the body. Your immune system should be patrolling your body constantly, looking out for enemies. If it is doing this effectively, you are much less likely to fall prey to colds, flu and other infections. The important thing to remember is that Echinacea purpurea improves the efficiency of a weak immune system, which is why it protects you against colds and flu.
Echinacea purpurea likes warm, sunny climates. If you try to grow it in cold, damp places it doesn’t do well. Anyone who has watched the Echinacea purpurea plants in their garden struggle to gain height through a miserable UK ‘summer’ will understand this.
Echinacea purpurea contains different ingredients in its various parts, so an extract that contains both leaf and root (both of which are used in traditional Echinacea purpurea remedies) will contain a useful variety of these ingredients.
Trials on Echinacea purpurea are often carried out on products made with the pressed juice of the plant, sometimes injected directly into the vein of the volunteer. This does not reflect the way Echinacea purpurea remedies are made by most herbal companies, nor how it is used by people on a daily basis.
1Reference: Ritchie M, et al. Adaptive immunomodulation resulting from Echinaforce. Poster presentation. Phytopharmaka und Phytotherapie Kongress, 14-16 February 2008, Berlin, Germany.
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