When do you take Echinacea?!


Question: When do you take Echinacea?
I heard only before you get sick.

Answers:

Steven Foster, author of Echinacea: Nature's Immune Enhancer (Healing Arts Press, 1991), says echinacea works best when symptoms of a cold or flu first appear. But you're not totally out of luck if you miss those early warning signs -- sore throat, achiness, sniffles. Gail Mahady, Ph.D., who recently reviewed the world's scientific literature on echinacea for the World Health Organization, says echinacea will shorten the duration of a cold even if you take it after you've fallen sick.

Experts' opinions vary on how long you should take echinacea. Foster says to take it for three to five days. If symptoms persist or recur then take it for another three to five days. Donald Brown, N.D., from Seattle, Washington, recommends taking it for up to fourteen days. Your best bet is to try taking it for different amounts of time to find out what works best for you.

What form-capsule, tablet, tincture, tea -- is most effective?

If you've been to a health foods store lately, you know that echinacea comes in many forms: crude plant in ground or powdered form, capsules and tablets; alcohol-based, glycerin-based, and water-based extracts (also known as tinctures); and various teas. And all of these can be made from different species of echinacea, the most common ones being purpurea, angustifolia, or pallida. These species differ in color, and height, as well as chemical composition. (There are seven known chemical components in all echinacea species.)

Let's start with the question of which form is best.

There is no consensus on which preparation is the best, but some experts consider the fresh-pressed juice the most effective because of its range of active compounds. However, fresh-pressed juice has virtually no shelf life and so most manufacturers don't produce it. If you're really industrious, and have access to fresh echinacea, you can make your own. if not, alcohol-based liquid extracts are your best choice. "The alcohol in the mixture renders the medicinal components highly soluble," says Debra Reuben, chemical herbalist and owner of Dancing Willow Herbs, a manufacturer in Durango, Colorado.

As for which species to select, studies have shown that different chemical components are more concentrated in the different species, but no species is clearly superior. For instance, E. angustifolia and E. purpurea both contain higher concentrations of alkylamides than the pallida species. Some studies show E. angustifolia produces the most immune-boosting activity, while others have demonstrated E. purpurea enhances phagocytosis more. According to Rudy Bauer, all three types can be effective at fighting colds and flus. To cover your bases, you may want to buy a brand-that combines the different varieties.

Echinacea: Nature's Immune Enhancer (Healing Arts Press, 1991) by Steven Foster



I take this when I start to feel that tell-tale tickle in the back of my throat. I will then take it every morning (along with a vit C & zinc tablet) until I feel better. I occasionally take it if there is a bug going around and I don't want to catch it. I wouldn't recommend taking it every day because your body may become immune to it.



When the tell-tale signs of a cold or flu are felt.

http://www.teabenefits.com/herbal-tea-be…



I took it a lot. I took it in tea and pill form and I got sick and now I am immune to it.



I take it whenever I'm sick or feel like I might get sick.




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