Echinacea: Nature’s Immune Boost? at He's Fit

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Echinacea: Nature’s Immune Boost?

Posted June 26, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Megan Hueter

Section: In The News, His Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health, His Nutrition, Supplements

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A new study published Sunday in the journal of Lancet Infectious Diseases said the supplement echinacea (coming from the purple coneflower plant) may help boost the immune system more than previously thought and may shorten and even prevent colds.

“We showed that patients who took echinacea could decrease the risk of developing a cold by 58 percent as well as decrease the duration of a cold by over a day and half,” said Dr. Craig Coleman of the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy.

Echinacea is made into teas and pills that many say might help build cold resistance. Coleman and his colleagues analyzed 1,600 patients from 14 previous studies on the herb. The World Health Organization recognized echinacea as a cold treatment in 1999. But other studies have shown opposite results. In 2000, German scientists reported echinacea could help treat colds, but not prevent them. And a 2005 New England Journal of Medicine study, which included more than 400 patients, said echinacea had no effects on colds.
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To help make sure you’re getting the real thing look for a label from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). It is an independent group that puts a seal of approval on supplements.