MADISON, WISCONSIN. The common cold and other upper respiratory
infections (URIs) are the most frequently occurring acute
illnesses in the developed world. It is estimated that the
average adult American has two to four colds per year while the
average school child in the United States suffers as many as six
to ten colds every year. Conventional medical science has little
to offer for preventing and treating uncomplicated URIs as most of
them are caused by viruses and do not respond to antibiotics.
Native Americans used the herb Echinacea to treat a variety
of illnesses including URIs at least as early as the middle of the
18th century. Echinacea is also very popular in Europe and
is approved in Germany as a herbal drug for treating URIs and
urinary tract infections. It is estimated that German physicians
write more than three million prescriptions for Echinacea
every year. In 1909 an article in the Journal of the American
Medical Association stated that Echinacea was "deemed
unworthy of future consideration" and since then the herb has not
received much attention by North American physicians. This,
however, has not prevented Americans from using Echinacea.
It is estimated that at least $400 million is spent on this
preparation in the United States every year.
Researchers at Bastyr University and the University of Wisconsin
have just released the result of a study which concludes that
Echinacea is indeed highly effective in the treatment of
URIs. The researchers evaluated the results of nine treatment
trials and four prevention trials and concluded that taking
Echinacea at the first sign of a cold can reduce the
severity of the illness by 50 per cent or more and can cut the
duration in half. A typical treatment protocol involves taking 20
drops of Echinacea extract every two hours for the first
day and then 20 drops three times per day until symptoms are
resolved. The researchers did not find any convincing evidence that long-
term supplementation prevents URIs and caution that, although
Echinacea is generally considered entirely safe, there are
no studies which specifically address the safety in regard to
infants, children or pregnant women. They conclude that "the
evidence suggests Echinacea taken early in the course of an
illness may be safe and effective in reducing the severity and
duration of the common cold."
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