Mason Natural Vitamins

Echinacea May Prevent Common Cold

Published evidence suggests echinacea can help decrease the incidence and duration of the common cold. Researchers from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy reviewed findings from 14 randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCTs), evaluating the effect of echinacea on the incidence and duration of upper respiratory tract infection; more than 1,600 individuals were included in the analysis. Echinacea decreased the odds of developing the common cold by more than half (58 percent) and the duration of a cold by 1.4 days.

Echinacea Lengthens Immune Response

A new mechanism-of-action study suggests the herb Echinacea boosts immunity by extending the period during which the immune system produces tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), a critical component of immune response to infection.

In the study, researchers exposed healthy immune cells from human blood to low levels of echinacea extract. The cells were then infected with lipopolysaccharide. The echinacea modified the behavior of genes in the immune cells by regulating, modulating and prolonging production of TNF-a, which stimulates the immune system to combat infection; the researchers attributed these effects to certain alkylamides in the herb.

The new findings were announced by Rudolf Bauer, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Pharmacological Sciences, in Graz, Austria; Mark Blumenthal, president of the American Botanical Council; and Jen Tan, M.D., director of the Jan De Vries medical clinic in Scotland.

"The effectiveness of echinacea has been taken almost as a matter of faith for generations--in fact, echinacea is probably the world's most widely used herbal preparation," Tan said. "Not every day do we have the chance to positively prove something that many have had faith in."

Echinacea May Support Immunity in Athletes

Echinacea may support respiratory health in athletes. Researchers from Elmhurst College and Detroit’s Wayne State University subjected 32 adults to an exercise protocol known to affect mucosal immunity; saliva was collected prior to and five minutes after exercise. Subjects then consumed a supplement with E. for four weeks, before participating in the exercise test again. While both groups demonstrated significant exercise-induced reductions in salivary and the secretion rate of s-IgA at the start of the study, supplementation with E. prevented such reductions in the intervention group during the second test. There was no difference in the number of upper respiratory tract infections between the groups; however, duration was only 3.4 days in the Echinacea group compared to 8.6 days in control participants.

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