Echinacea Extract, 510 mg
Planetary Herbals

Echinacea is the a relied upon botanical in North America for supporting immune
functions. Planetary Formulas Echinacea Extract combines a concentrated
Echinacea angustifolia root extract (standard to 4% echinacosides) with the
roots of Echinacea pallida. This captures the full spectrum of echinacea
compounds.
Click here for more Echinacea product information
Standardized echinacea extract
Because the active component of the echinacea plant has not been fully identified, commercial echinacea products are not typically standardized to any particular component.
Echinacea extract how it works
Echinacea plant extract is widely used for the prevention and treatment of upper
respiratory tract infections. Echinacea has been the subject of hundreds of studies,
however, the active components in the herb, their optimal dosages and their in vivo
effects are still not fully identified. The actions of echinacea are thought to be due to
a number of polysaccharides called fructofuranosides, such as heteroxylan and
arabinogalactan, and also to a group of lower molecular-weight polysaccharides, including
alkylamides and echinacosides.
Many of the compounds in echinacea stimulate
various aspects of the immune system including macrophage and lymphocyte function. Natural
killer cell activity is increased and there may be an increase in interferon production
and phagocytosis.
Does echinacea prevent cold?
Echinacea, which is derived from the coneflower, has long been touted as a way
to bolster immunity and prevent or ease the common cold. But studies have come
to conflicting conclusions as to whether the herb is truly effective.
Echinacea studies for the common cold
Stocking your medicine cabinet
with Echinacea may be a waste of time, as a new study shows the herbal medicine
does not help prevent colds. After exposing 48 healthy adults to a virus that
causes the common cold, U.S. investigators found that people who took Echinacea
were no less likely to develop colds than people who took an inactive placebo
pill. Consequently, people may be better off leaving Echinacea off of their
grocery list, study author Dr. Steven Sperber of Hackensack University Medical
Center in New Jersey told Reuters Health. "Echinacea did not prevent infection
with the cold virus," he said. The research was funded by the German company
Madaus Aktiengesellschaft, which sells the Echinacea product used in the current
study. In the U.S. alone, consumers spend more than $300 million each year on
Echinacea products, for the purpose of preventing and treating colds. However,
recent research has also cast doubt on whether the herbal preparation can treat
colds. A study published last year found that children who took Echinacea as
soon as they developed a cold showed no difference in the severity or duration
of cold symptoms than children who took a placebo pill.
Efficacy of Echinacea purpurea in patients with a common
cold. A placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind clinical trial.
Schulten B, Bulitta M, Ballering-Bruhl B, Koster U, Schafer M.
Arzneimittelforschung 2001;51(7):563-8
Company Medical Service, Madaus AG, Cologne, Germany.
Common colds are one of the most frequent acute illnesses with major economical impact.
Echinaceae purpureae herba (Echinacin, EC31J0) has shown promising results in the relief
of common cold symptoms and the time taken to improvement compared to placebo. This study
was aimed to confirm these findings by performing a randomised, double-blind,
placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 80 adult male or female patients with first
signs of a cold were recruited. The number of days of illness with a complete picture of
the common cold (defined by the modified Jackson score of at least 5 points and experience
of rhinorrhea and/or a subjective sensation of having a cold) was the primary end-point.
In the verum group the median time of illness was 6.0 days compared to 9.0 days in the
placebo group, assigning zero time for patients without a complete picture. EC31J0 was well tolerated and clinically effective in alleviating
symptoms more rapidly than placebo in patients with a common cold.
Herpes
Echinacea at a dose of 800 mg twice daily for six months was not effective in
reducing the frequency of recurrent genital herpes.
Echinacea side effects
This herb is considered to have no major toxicity and adverse effects are rare. As with most herbal products, small amounts are usually quite safe. There have been
rare cases of allergic reactions to echinacea. It may be best for those with autoimmune
diseases to not use echinacea.
Activation of autoimmunity following use of immunostimulatory herbal
supplements.
Arch Dermatol. 2004 Jun;140(6):723-7.Lee AN, Werth VP.
Section of Dermatology, University of Chicago, IL, USA.
Evidence for the scientific basis of purported therapeutic
effects and adverse effects of herbal supplements continues to grow. Many herbal
supplements are touted for their immunostimulatory properties, and both in vitro
and in vivo experiments have supported this claim. Although this explains their
beneficial effects in preventing or curtailing disease, to our knowledge, no
immunostimulatory herbal supplements have been reported to exacerbate disorders
of immune system overactivity. We describe 3 patients whose
autoimmune disease onset and/or flares correlated with ingestion of herbal
supplements with proven immunostimulatory effects. Echinacea and the alga Spirulina platensis are implicated in 2 patients'
flares of pemphigus vulgaris, and a supplement containing the algae Spirulina
platensis and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae was ingested by a third patient days
before both onset and a severe flare of dermatomyositis. The third patient
showed heterozygosity for a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) promoter
polymorphism (-308A), leading to increased production of TNF-alpha, which may
have predisposed her to developing dermatomyositis. Immunostimulatory herbal supplements may exacerbate preexisting autoimmune
disease or precipitate autoimmune disease in persons genetically predisposed to
such disorders. Increased production of TNF-alpha may play a role, although more
research is needed to clarify the mechanisms of such phenomena.
Echinacea
extract summary
Echinacea herb has an influence on the
immune
system. The scientific evidence regarding echinacea's effectiveness in limiting
common cold
severity and duration is inconsistent.
The research literature on echinacea is difficult to
evaluate because of the differences in products used in various studies.
In a recent study with children, Echinacea purpurea was not
effective in treating upper respiratory infection symptoms in patients 2 to 11 years old, and its use
was associated with an increased risk of rash.
A June, 2004 study found taking 300
milligrams per day of Echinacea at the first sign of a cold appears to do little
to reduce symptoms or speed recovery.
At this point we do not recommend the
use of echinacea to treat or prevent the
common cold. We believe
zinc lozenges are more effective and vitamin C taken early in the onset of a
cold has potential.
Also consider
Goldenseal as an immune herb, along with
Elderberry.
American Herbal Pharmacopoeia
Releases Quality Control Standard and Therapeutic Compendium for Dietary
Supplements 2007-01-26.
Scotts Valley, CA - The American Herbal Pharmacopoeiaź (AHP), a California-based
non-profit research organization, announced the release of its quality control
standard and therapeutic compendium for the botanical dietary supplement
Echinacea purpurea Aerial Parts (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench). The
information will assist manufacturers in preparing for good manufacturing
practices (GMPs). Echinacea purpurea has traditionally been used to help prevent
colds, flu and other infections. The Echinacea purpurea monograph establishes
national standards for assuring authenticity, purity, and quality control of the
botanical. "There are quality issues surrounding Echinacea that make
manufacturing, choosing or researching a quality product very complicated," said
AHP executive director Roy Upton. "For example, confusion between species, the
presence of adulterants, instability of potentially active compounds and
analytical difficulties create a great challenge for anyone working with
Echinacea. The Echinacea purpurea Aerial Parts (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench)
monograph and the Echinacea purpurea Root monograph, published in 2004, create a
comprehensive species profile that will help simplify these issues." The
monographs for Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pallida are also in
development. Each monograph provides a thorough review of the herb. These
monographs are essential references for manufacturers who must comply with GMPs,
and they are beneficial for academic researchers, regulators and health
professionals using herbal medicines as a part of their practice. They also
provide important information regarding the true therapeutic potential and
safety of herbs so that consumers and health professionals can make educated
decisions about their use.
AHP, founded in Santa Cruz,
California, began developing qualitative and therapeutic monographs in 1994. The
Mission of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) is to promote the
responsible use of herbal medicines and insure they are used with the highest
degree of safety and efficacy as is achievable. Their primary way to accomplish
this is through the development of standards of identity, purity, and analysis
for botanicals, as well as to critically review traditional and scientific data
regarding their efficacy and safety.
Echinacea extract questions
Q. Is
AHCC helpful for the immune system like
echinacea herb extract?
A.
They are
very different in how they work.
Do you know if echinacea interacts with
tongkat
ali herb if taken twice weekly?
If taken only occasionally, this aphrodisiac herb should not
interfere with echinacea extract.
Are there any interactions combining echinacea herb
with the occasional use of yohimbe bark
extract?
We don't think there are any concerns with this combination.
Q. If one takes echinacea pill daily over a period of a
couple of months could this possibly result in higher blood pressure -- even when one is
taking blood pressure medicine? Can echinacea herb be combined with AHCC supplement?
A. We are not aware of any research that indicates echinacea is
involved with blood pressure.
AHCC
and echinacea work in different ways, it is difficult to predict their effect
when combined.