FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Robert S. McCaleb
(303) 449-2265
Echinacea Study Design Inconsistent with Recommended Use
April 28, 1999: Preliminary reports about a six-month
study conducted at Bastyr University suggest that echinacea was
ineffective in preventing colds and flu when taken long-term on
a daily basis. According to the investigators, the results also
imply that people in the study who took echinacea actually developed
more symptoms of respiratory infection than those who did not
take the herb. Results of the study, which have not yet been published
in a peer-reviewed journal, will be presented at the International
Conference on Integrative Medicine, to be held April 30 through
May 2, 1999 in Seattle. Bastyr University has not released complete
study details. HRF is attempting to get further information from
Bastyr, after which we will be better able to comment on the quality
and relevance of the study and its results.
Long-term, daily use of echinacea for prevention of colds and
flu is not consistent with traditional use of the herb or with
modern European use. In Europe, practitioners recommend that people
take echinacea at the first sign of a cold or flu to lessen the
severity and shorten the duration of illness. Clinical studies
in which people took echinacea at the first sign of a cold or
flu have shown that the herb is effective in reducing symptoms,
shortening the duration of illness, and even preventing the development
of a "full-blown" cold. Results of studies such as the
Bastyr study, which have investigated the effects of long-term
use of echinacea in preventing colds and flu, have generally been
less positive. The German Commission E recommends limiting use
of echinacea to eight weeks.
"There's plenty of evidence that echinacea stimulates the
immune system, and direct evidence that it's useful when taken
at the first sign of a cold or flu." said HRF President Rob
McCaleb. "We have not yet seen the Bastyr study, so we can't
comment on its quality. And even if the study is well done, one
study does not constitute conclusive evidence about the preventive
use of echinacea."
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