What's echinacea?
This colourful flower, which is native to America, has long been known for its health-boosting properties, particularly in relation to the immune system. There are ten known species of echinacea but, here at A.Vogel, we use echinacea purpurea in our products which is the most widely researched species.
How does echinacea work?
Echinacea supports the immune system – the body's defence mechanism against viruses, bacteria and other unhelpful particles. The immune system employs white blood cells, for example, that work against these things. There are two main types of white blood cells:
Macrophages – these detect and destroy harmful organisms. They also trigger inflammation to activate other immune cells into tackling the harmful entities.
Phagocytes – these ingest and destroy foreign particles.
So, echinacea supports the immune system and helps to keep these processes working well. But don't just take our word for it! Research has continuously demonstrated the positive effects of Echinacea, particularly in relation to fighting colds and flu.
A 2007 meta-analysis of 14 studies that investigated the effects of echinacea on the duration and symptoms of the common cold found that the herb reduced the chance of developing common cold symptoms by 58%. If a cold did take hold, echinacea was able to reduce its duration by 1.4 days.
When should you take echinacea and how long for?
If you find yourself coming down with cold or flu-like systems, this is the time to take in some echinacea. The aim is that the herb will support your immune system and help tackle those nasty symptoms.
Also, if you have recently come into contact with someone suffering from viral symptoms, maybe your partner has a runny nose or your colleagues are complaining of a sore throat, it is a good idea to give your immune system some extra support with echinacea.
If you find yourself suffering from cold or flu symptoms but these don't clear up after ten days of taking Echinacea, it is time to seek further advice from your doctor.
Should Echinaforce be used in winter or all year round?
Some research has indicated that echinacea can be used long-term.
A 4-month trial run by the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff, United Kingdom, showed that taking Echinacea for this duration had a positive effect. It reduced recurrent colds by 59%, it reduced the severity of cold symptoms and it reduced the number of days people experienced symptoms for.
There was also evidence to suggest that those prone to more infections, including smokers, anyone experiencing lots of stress and those suffering from sleep problems, benefited most from taking echinacea. The study involved over 700 participants and had a good tolerability.
Other research has seen similar positive results. A 2016 review, for example, looked at a few longer-term studies on echinacea and concluded that these herbal medicines "are well-tolerated". This may suggest there is no need to limit use of Echinacea.
In addition, research has measured the levels of TNF-a when taking echinacea longer term. This is an inflammatory marker that our immune cells release whilst fighting infections. If there is an excess of these inflammatory substances, it can give rise to more severe symptoms during a cold or flu. Also, high TNF-a levels out-with an infection could risk over stimulating the immune system.
So, how does this all connect to taking echinacea long-term? Well, the research showed that echinacea helps to keep TNF-a from getting too high during an infection. However, crucially, when taking the herb long-term with no signs of an infection, TNF-a levels did not increase unnecessarily and, in fact, echinacea actually helped to modulate TNF-a.
In light of these results, it may be a good idea to take echinacea during periods when you are more prone to infection, such as in the winter months. If you find yourself suffering from recurrent bouts of cold or flu, however, it could be taken year-round.
Take your pick of A.Vogel echinacea products
Are you looking to try Echinacea for yourself? Here at A.Vogel, we have a few options.
Echinaforce Echinacea Drops are arguably our most popular choice. They contain fresh extracts of echinacea with herb (95%) and root (5%). The reason that we use fresh rather than dried herbs is that they are known to contain more active substances in them and thus offer the most benefit. The plants used in this product are cultivated from our very own herb farm in Switzerland.
Liquids are well absorbed by the body which explains why our Echinacea drops are such a popular option. Simply take 15 drops in a little water 2-3 times daily to support your immune system.
The Echinaforce Echinacea Tablets are another good option. These contain the same ratio of herb to root and are also rich in fresh echinacea. Each tablet contains 400mg of echinacea. Two tablets should be taken 2-3 times daily.
You could take either the tincture or tablets to support your immune system going forwards.
References
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17597571/
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2012/841315/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26441065/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15556647/
https://www.japsonline.com/admin/php/uploads/1125_pdf.pdf
