| Personal Care Corner | |
Personal Care Corner: Echinacea in the Press
by Carrie A. Corson, from the September 2005 newsletter
You may have read or heard about a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded that certain extracts of Echinacea were statistically ineffective in lowering rates of infection or severity of symptoms of an induced cold virus in a group of 399 college students. Unfortunately it seems that the conclusion that has been drawn, at least as it has been reported in mainstream media, has been that all Echinacea is ineffective.
This conclusion has drawn criticism from the herbal medicine community. Wayne Silverman, chief administrative officer for the American Botanical Council, pointed out what he believed to be three main flaws with the study, while acknowledging that the study was performed in a scientific manner by a reputable institution. Silverman states that the extracts used in the study were made in a university lab, which would make them incomparable to any Echinacea products currently sold. He also pointed out that the dosage administered in the study was about one-third the dose commonly recommended. Silverman also made the point that college students in a sequestered environment would not likely produce the same results as using subjects with weaker immune systems. (Natural Foods Merchandiser, August 2005).
Media reports have virtually ignored the criticisms of the study as well as the dozens of studies that have shown positive results from the use of Echinacea. Silverman encourages consumers to take all research into consideration when making a decision about whether or not to take Echinacea.
For more information on Echinacea, visit the American Botanical Council website and click on “Science-based Studies of Echinacea.”
Reference: Natural Foods Merchandiser, August 2, 2005. Echinacea Study No Death Knell for Supplement, Hilary Oliver.
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