Echinacea Works, As We've Been Saying All Along

And now, once again, we come full circle. A recent analysis of echinacea studies has concluded that this popular botanical medicine significantly reduces the risk you'll catch a cold and also can cut a cold's duration.

This is good news as we're still in the midst of the cold and flu season, and it adds more evidence to what we've always believed about this natural purple coneflower remedy here at Daily Health News. Yet it wasn't long ago that a New England Journal of Medicine study (July 28, 2005) stated just the opposite, calling the effects of echinacea not clinically significant in fighting colds. So which report should you trust?

According to Craig I. Coleman, PharmD, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut, who helped conduct this latest echinacea research, there are many possible reasons why one individual study might have found this treatment ineffective.

For example, there are different types of echinacea, different dosages, different frequencies of dosage, etc. In the case of the New England Journal of Medicine study, Dr. Coleman points out that a less effective species of echinacea was used (Echinacea angustifolia rather than Echinacea purpurea), and at a dosage that was only a third what was recommended. Moreover, only one of the more than 200 viruses that cause cold symptoms was tested.

THE POTENT PURPLE CONEFLOWER

To learn the truth about echinacea, Dr. Coleman and his colleagues combined data from 14 previous clinical trials involving nearly 3,000 people. Since many studies include less than 100 participants, he notes that the much larger meta-analysis packs more statistical power and is also likely to uncover effects of a treatment that might not have shown up in smaller studies. For the greatest accuracy, researchers also chose only randomized, placebo-controlled and peer reviewed trials -- the ones most likely to yield reliable results.

The results were impressive. Researchers found that...

• Echinacea reduces the chance of catching a cold by 58% when taken prior to or right at the first hint of a cold.

•  If you already have a cold, taking echinacea can shorten the duration of it by a day and a half.

POWERFUL COLD PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

"The take-home message from our study is that echinacea does indeed have powerful cold prevention and treatment benefits," says Dr. Coleman. Yet with more than 800 echinacea products on the market today, he believes more research is needed to determine the best product preparation and proper dosage.

Source(s):

Craig I. Coleman, PharmD, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

Facts about Neways Echinacea, and also VMM.

• Great for winter months.

• One of the most researched herbs.

• Neways has Echinacea (purple coneflower) alone, and VMM which is Echinacea plus other herbs.

• Directed to immune system. Overall – not specific like antibiotics or vaccines.

• Makes our own cells more effective at fighting.

• Speeds recovery from viruses.

• Anti-inflammatory. Try for psoriasis or exzema. (85% of psoriasis cured with skin application of an Echinacea cream.)

• Promotes T-cell stimulation

• Increase 50-125% immune function over 5 days.

• Use for Cold, cough and flu.

• Helps with enlarged lymph glands.

• Helps UTI.

• Helps combat herpes and candida.

• No known toxicity.

• How to use it wisely?

• Keep away from light sources.

• Use intermittently or for up to 10 days at a time.

• Rest for 4 days between courses – up to eight weeks, then stop for a little while.

• Loses effectiveness after two months of use.

• Use alone, or as an extra kick while using VMM.

• Start when you feel a cold coming on.

• Add Green Qi to alkalize to lessen disease.