Tugui Elena-LilianaAMF II B

Echinacea

Echinacea is an herb. Several species of the echinacea plant are used to make

medicine from its leaves, flower, and root.

Echinacea is widely used to fight infections, especially the common cold and other

upper respiratory infections. Some people take echinacea at the first sign of a cold,

hoping they will be able to keep the cold from developing. Other people take

echinacea after cold symptoms have started, hoping they can make symptoms less

severe. The people who use echinacea to treat symptoms have the right idea.

Research to date shows that echinacea probably modestly reduces cold symptoms,

but it’s not clear whether it helps prevent colds from developing.

Echinacea is also used against many other infections including the flu, urinary tract

infections, vaginal yeast infections, genital herpes, bloodstream infections

(septicemia), gum disease, tonsillitis, streptococcus infections, syphilis, typhoid,

malaria, and diphtheria.

Other uses not related to infection include chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS),

rheumatism, migraines, acid indigestion, pain, dizziness, rattlesnake bites, and

attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Sometimes people apply echinacea to their skin to treat boils, abscesses, skin

wounds, ulcers, burns, eczema, psoriasis, UV radiation skin damage, herpes

simplex, bee stings, and hemorrhoids.

Tugui Elena-LilianaAMF II BEchinacea species are native to North America and were used as traditional herbal

remedies by the Great Plains Indian tribes. Later, settlers followed the Indians’

example and began using echinacea for medicinal purposes as well. For a time,

echinacea enjoyed official status as a result of being listed in the US National

Formulary from 1916-1950. However, use of echinacea fell out of favor in the

United States with the discovery of antibiotics and due to the lack of scientific

evidence supporting its use. But now, people are becoming interested in echinacea

again because some antibiotics don’t work as well as they used to against certain

bacteria.

Commercially available echinacea products come in many forms including tablets,

juice, and tea.

There are concerns about the quality of some echinacea products on the market.

Echinacea products are frequently mislabeled, and some may not even contain

echinacea, despite label claims. Don’t be fooled by the term “standardized.” It

doesn’t necessarily indicate accurate labeling. Also, some echinacea products have

been contaminated with selenium, arsenic, and lead.

How does it work?

Echinacea seems to activate chemicals in the body that decrease inflammation,

which might reduce cold and flu symptoms.

Laboratory research suggests that echinacea can stimulate the body’s immune

system, but there is no evidence that this occurs in people.

Echinacea also seems to contain some chemicals that can attack yeast and other

kinds of fungi directly.