Is Echinacea a placebo?!


Question:

Is Echinacea a placebo?

where's the proof that this herb boosts your immune system?


Answers:

Two groups of researchers recently conducted a review of the scientific literature to determine whether echinacea is safe and effective in preventing or treating the common cold. Both groups of researchers identified 13 high-quality European studies including a variety of different echinacea preparations. Nine looked at the effectiveness of echinacea to treat the common cold and four examined whether echinacea helps prevent this familiar health problem.

Most studies found that echinacea (when taken at the first sign of a cold for 8 to 10 days) reduced cold symptoms or shortened their duration. For example, in a study of 95 people with early symptoms of cold and flu (such as runny nose, scratchy throat, and fever), those who drank 5 to 6 cups of echinacea tea every day for 5 days felt better sooner than those who drank tea without echinacea. Other studies have found that echinacea reduces cold symptoms by roughly 34 percent.

One popular way that echinacea is used is to try prevent a cold or flu by taking the herb throughout cold and flu season or just after exposure to an infection via a friend or loved one. Despite the popularity of this approach, several studies suggest that it does not work.

Three out of four well-designed studies found that echinacea was only "marginally" better than placebo in preventing the common cold. The last study revealed that echinacea was, in fact, no better than placebo at all in 117 healthy volunteers treated with one or the other for two weeks after being exposed to rhinovirus (a virus that often causes colds). An equal number of men and women in the placebo and echinacea groups developed a cold. The consensus seems to be that echinacea may help treat but not prevent the common cold.




The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories