Echinacea contains small amounts of Iron, iodine, Copper, Potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.

Several components of Echinacea work together to increase the body’s production of white blood cells: alkylamides, polysaccharides, and caffeic acid derivatives. It is believed that echinacea works by activating the white blood cells using these products. Echinacea has been shown to specifically increase the action of the class of white cells known as "natural killer cells".¹

Echinacea works both to treat the symptoms of a cold, and to help improve immune function to prevent the onset of colds. When used to improve immune function, echinacea works best when taken for a period of one to two months, followed by a "rest" period of approximately two weeks before it is taken again.

Useful in treatment of: Common Cold, ear infections, gingivitis, Immune Function Improvement, influenza, yeast infection.

Recommended Dosage: At onset of illness, 3 to 4 ml in liquid every two hours the first day, then three to four times daily for duration of cold or flu.
As an immune stimulant, 3 – 4 ml liquid, or 300 mg powdered, three times daily.

Contraindications: Should not be taken by anyone allergic to flowers in the daisy family. Patients with autoimmune diseases such as lupus should consult with a health professional before taking echinacea.

Additional studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of Echinacea include:

Echinagard treatment shortens the course of the common cold: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

O. Hoheisel MD 1, M. Sandberg 1, S. Bertram 2, M. Bulitta 2, M. Schäfer MD 2
1 Centralhälsan, Falköping, Sweden
2 Cologne, Germany

Published in the European Journal of Clinical Research 1997; 9:261-268
©1997 Brookwood Medical Publications
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Tel: +44 (0)181 332 4600 Fax: +44 (0)181 332 4610

Excerpts from the Study Summary
"A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centre clinical trial was carried out to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of the phyto-pharmaceutical, Echinaguard*, in 120 patients with initial symptoms of acute, uncomplicated upper airways infection. Echinagard (20 drops every 2 hours for the first day and thereafter three times daily) or placebo was administered for up to 10 days, after which patients were questioned about the intensity of their illness, time to improvement and time until cessation of treatment."

"…An intention-to-treat analysis revealed that 24/60 patients (40.0%) in the Echinagard group, but 30/60 (60.0%) in the placebo group, experienced a ‘real’ cold, i.e., fully expressed (p = 0.444). The time taken to improvement (assigning zero time to improvement for patients without a ‘real ’ cold) was significantly shorter (p > 0.0001) in the Echinagard group (median 0 days) than the placebo group (median 5 days). In the sub-group of patients with a ‘real’ cold, the median time taken to improvement was 4 days (Echinagard, n = 24) and 8 days (placebo, n = 36), respectively. More patients taking Echinagard* (31.7%) than placebo (18.3%) stopped treatment because of improvement. The time taken to cessation of treatment as a result of improvement in the sub-group of patients with a ‘real’ cold was shorter with Echinagard (median 6 days) than with placebo (median 10 days). No specific adverse events were reported. In the Echinagard group, 53/60 (88.3%) reported the tolerability of the medication as good or very good, in comparison to 51/60 (85.0%) in the placebo group…"

Excerpts from the Study Discussion
"The findings of this study show that daily treatment with Echinagard, from the first signs of an upper respiratory infection, on the one hand inhibits the full expression of the disease and on the other, when symptoms have developed fully, leads to more rapid recovery than in patients treated with placebo.

A particularly notable aspect of the data is the rapidity with which the effect of Echinagard was observed. The median time to improvement in Echinagard-treated patients with a ‘real’ cold was almost 4 days shorter than in those treated with placebo. The period of total treatment was also reduced from 10 to 6 days in the sub-group of patients with a ‘real’ cold. The data indicate that early initiation of treatment with the squeezed sap of Echinacea purpurea can reduce the development of the disease and significantly shorten the duration of the common cold and reduce the length of the treatment period required. This will also have a favourable effect on the cost of treatment..."

"Conventional influenza remedies …cause a variety of adverse drug reactions, such as tiredness, states of excitement, slowed reactivity and interactions with other drugs. Overuse of decongestants can damage the nasal mucosa. Preparations of Echinacea purpurea, however, are extremely well tolerated, experience which is confirmed by the results of the present study showing that tolerability of Echinagard was similar to that of placebo.

In conclusion, the findings presented here demonstrate that Echinagard is effective and well-tolerated in the therapy of the common cold."

References:

¹See DM, Broumand N, Sahl L, Tilles JG. In vitro effects of echinacea and ginseng on natural killer and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity in healthy subjects and chronic fatigue syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients. Immunpharmacol 1997;35:229–35.