Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower, is primarily known for its immune-boosting properties. It has been used in traditional medicine for centuries and is supported by various scientific studies.
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| Echinacea has a number of health benefits |
What is Echinacea?
Echinacea is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. They are characterized by large, showy flower heads with purple, pink, or white petals and a central cone that is often brown or orange. They typically grow to about 1-2 feet in height.
Echinacea is native to central and eastern North America, thriving in prairies and open woodlands. It prefers well-drained soils and full sunlight.
Echinacea contains several bioactive compounds, including
- Alkamides: Which have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Polysaccharides: Known to boost immune function.
- Caffeic Acid Derivatives: Such as echinacoside and cichoric acid, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
- Glycoproteins and Glycosides: Contributing to its immune-enhancing properties.
- Flavonoids: Including quercetin and kaempferol.
Echinacea has been used in various cultures for centuries:
Early American Settlers: Adopted Echinacea for treating colds, flu, and snake bites.
European Herbal Medicine: Popularized in the 20th century for immune support and infection prevention.
Echinacea and the common cold
Echinacea helps prevent the common cold. Conventional medicine offers no preventative agent for the common cold. This is not the case for natural therapies. Echinacea is one of those natural therapies can help prevent and reduce the duration of a cold.
Researchers from the UK’s Cardiff University have determined in a large-scale clinical study that Echinacea can indeed prevent and reduce duration of the common cold.
This research follows an increasing chorus of conventional doctors that have put forth that there is no proof that Echinacea purpurea – an herb used for centuries to stave off colds and flus in Europe – indeed lives up to its legend.
Well, the naysayers were wrong. In a gold-standard double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 755 healthy adults were given either an Echinacea extract or a placebo for four months. The placebo simulated the treatment in all respects.
The subjects completed diaries and were interviewed and analyzed once a month. The researchers also collected nasal mucous during cold or viral episodes. Blood samples were also collected and analyzed.
Those who took the Echinacea had significantly fewer colds and virus infections during the treatment period. In addition, duration of illnesses was significantly reduced among the Echinacea group compared to the placebo group.
The subjects in the placebo group had 188 colds, compared to 149 among the Echinacea group. The placebo group’s collective duration of illness was 850 episode-days, compared to 672 episode-days.
The researchers also found that only 65 infections recurred in 28 subjects among the Echinacea group compared 100 recurrent infections among 43 people in the placebo group, a difference of 59%.
The study also found that the placebo group took 52% more pain medication to help relieve infection symptoms than did the Echinacea group.
Echinacea combination of leaves and roots
The research utilized an alcohol-extract of freshly harvested Echinacea leaf (at 95%) and root (at 5%). This may well account for the widely positive results, as different types of extract processes will yield different medicinal effects. In addition, because both the root and the leaf of the plant was used, there was a wider breadth of medicinal constituents.
Echinacea purpurea is also called the purple cone flower because of its large cone and purple flower. It grows through Europe and North America. It has several relatives with varying degrees of medicinal potency.
A 2007 review of research from the University of Connecticut concluded that 14 studies showed Echinacea can cut the risk of the common cold by half and cold duration by an average of 1.4 days. Even with this, conventional medicine has remained largely negative about Echinacea’s ability to help prevent and counteract the cold, stating that there wasn’t enough evidence. Well, it looks like that has changed.
Respiratory tract infections
Research has found that Echinacea can specifically reduce infections like pneumonia, sinusitis or otitis media (ear infections). These infections are often referred to in general as respiratory tract infections.
Turns out that Echinacea is productive in helping to prevent these infections.
European researchers followed 103 children who were given Echinacea over a two-month period. These children were compared to 98 kids who were given vitamin C over the same period.
The researchers found the Echinacea group had significantly fewer respiratory tract infections over that period compared to the vitamin C group.
The researchers also found that the children taking the Echinacea were significantly less likely to take antibiotics compared to the vitamin C group.
Echinacea is antibacterial
A 2018 study tested Echinacea against other antimicrobial and antioxidant herbs and foods. They found that Echinacea was significantly antibiotic. It was also a significant antioxidant.
Clinical research shows Echinacea lowers anxiety
The roots of Echinacea (E. purpura or E. angustifolia) are typically used to boost immunity. But did you know that Echinacea can also reduce anxiety?
A number of studies have proven that Echinacea helps with the cold and flu, but now we find that Echinacea also helps reduce anxiety according to scientific research.
Researchers from Hungary’s Institute of Experimental Medicine in Budapest studied 64 adults who had high levels of anxiety.
Anxiety scores were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The test subjects were given either 80 milligrams of Echinacea root extract for seven days, or a placebo.
After only taking Echinacea for seven days, those taking the Echinacea had significantly reduced anxiety scores. Their scores decreased by about 11 points.
The researchers concluded:
“These findings suggest that particular Echinacea preparations have significant beneficial effects on anxiety in humans.”
A 2013 study tested healthy humans with Echinacea for one week. But this time, the dose was 40 milligrams per day and the volunteers were tested using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) test. They found that after the seven days, the subjects scored higher on the STAI test.
Researchers from Australia’s University of Melbourne conducted a Cochrane review of herbs for anxiety disorders. They concluded that Echinacea was one of several herbs helpful for anxiety, in addition to:
• Ashwagandha (Withania somniferum)
• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
• Galphimia glauca
• Ginkgo biloba
• Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)
• Kava (Piper methysticum)
• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
• Milk thistle (Silybum marianum)
• Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate)
• Red feathers (Echium amoenum)
• Rhodiola rosea
• Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Mechanism of action
The researchers suggested that the alkamides in Echinacea may bind to a cannabinoid receptor called CB1.
This can inhibit the activity of a fat enzyme called FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase). This, in turn, will decrease anandamide levels in the brain, which has been linked to higher anxiety levels.
Inhibiting the FAAH enzyme has been a target for drug development.
But Echinacea was found in this study to have practically no side effects. (“Adverse effects were rare and mild, and all were observed in the placebo group.”)
Scientific References
Haller J, Krecsak L, Zámbori J. Double-blind placebo controlled trial of the anxiolytic effects of a standardized Echinacea extract. Phytother Res. 2019 Dec 25. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6558.
Haller J, Freund TF, Pelczer KG, Füredi J, Krecsak L, Zámbori J. The anxiolytic potential and psychotropic side effects of an echinacea preparation in laboratory animals and healthy volunteers. Phytother Res. 2013 Jan;27(1):54-61. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4677.
Sarris J, McIntyre E, Camfield DA. Plant-based medicines for anxiety disorders, part 2: a review of clinical studies with supporting preclinical evidence. CNS Drugs. 2013 Apr;27(4):301-19. doi: 10.1007/s40263-013-0059-9.
Jawad M, Schoop R, Suter A, Klein P, Eccles R. Safety and Efficacy Profile of Echinacea purpurea to Prevent Common Cold Episodes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:841315.
Shah SA, Sander S, White CM, Rinaldi M, Coleman CI. Evaluation of echinacea for the treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2007 Jul;7(7):473-80.Echinacea angustifolia is also called the purple coneflower.
Sharifi-Rad M, Mnayer D, Morais-Braga MFB, Carneiro JNP, Bezerra CF, Coutinho HDM, Salehi B, Martorell M, Del Mar Contreras M, Soltani-Nejad A, Uribe YAH, Yousaf Z, Iriti M, Sharifi-Rad J. Echinacea plants as antioxidant and antibacterial agents: From traditional medicine to biotechnological applications. Phytother Res. 2018 Sep;32(9):1653-1663. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6101.
Xu W, Zhu H, Hu B, Cheng Y, Guo Y, Yao W, Qian H. Echinacea in hepatopathy: A review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety. Phytomedicine. 2021 Jul;87:153572. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153572.
Ogal M, Johnston SL, Klein P, Schoop R. Echinacea reduces antibiotic usage in children through respiratory tract infection prevention: a randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial. Eur J Med Res. 2021 Apr 8;26(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s40001-021-00499-6.
Dobrange E, Peshev D, Loedolff B, Van den Ende W. Fructans as Immunomodulatory and Antiviral Agents: The Case of Echinacea. Biomolecules. 2019 Oct 16;9(10):615. doi: 10.3390/biom9100615.