Sore throat, runny nose and exhaustion: In the cold season, colds suddenly increase. Can echinacea help prevent the common cold? That’s what the study says.
Colds are caused by bacteria or viruses. The ingredients of Echinacea, also known as coneflowers, are said to help the body to destroy the pathogens more quickly. But how does echinacea affect the immune system?
What is Echinacea?
Echinacea, also known as coneflower, urchin’s head or cone flower, belongs to the daisy family. The purple medicinal plant is primarily native to America. But coneflowers are also planted here. Echinacea is a popular herbal remedy for treating colds during the cold season.
Three species are used medicinally: the narrow-leaved coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia), the purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and the pale coneflower (Echinacea pallida). Above all, the juice of the flowers is used.
How does the medicinal plant work?
The ingredients of the medicinal plant, including echinacin, echinacoside, essential oil, bitter substances, resins, phytosterols, inulin and polysaccharides, are said to stimulate the immune system and strengthen the immune system. The indigenous peoples of North America also used the medicinal plant for feverish illnesses, insect bites, poorly healing wounds and snake bites.
Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and immune system activating properties are attributed to the coneflower. Laboratory tests have shown that Echinacea fights viruses, fungi and bacteria and can stimulate immune cells. It is not yet clear which ingredients are responsible for the effect. Echinacea is also said to support wound healing and have a decongestant effect on the skin.
Popular remedy for colds
On average, adults have to get through two to four colds (flu-like infections) a year, and children up to ten. Cold symptoms usually last for seven days and then subside. It is popularly said that a cold comes two days, stays two days and goes two days.
A cold is usually harmless, but the symptoms can be very distressing. Many people who have a cold try to relieve the symptoms with medication. Echinacea extracts are popular cold remedies. But how effective is the coneflower?
What is known about the effectiveness?
The study situation on echinacea as a cold remedy is contradictory. Tests from the laboratory cannot be transferred one-to-one to humans. However, some studies indicate a healing-supporting and immune system-activating effect if the medicinal plant is taken early – i.e. at the first symptoms of a cold.
If the cold is already in full swing, a protective effect can no longer be expected. Echinacea cold remedies may therefore be an option for adults. In children, on the other hand, there was no difference between echinacea and a dummy drug (placebo).
“Even if the study situation is inconsistent, there are people who have had good experiences with echinacea. The medicinal plant for cold symptoms is definitely worth a try. However, there is no guarantee of effectiveness,” says graduate ecotrophologist Brigitte Neumann. “In the case of children, to be on the safe side, parents should consult the pediatrician before administering a preparation with which they have no experience. Allergic reactions, such as skin rashes, are possible with herbal products.”
Brigitte Neuman is a qualified ecotrophologist from Uttenreuth. The freelance nutritionist works in adult education. Among other things, she gives lectures in schools and companies and works with associations, institutions, health insurance companies and doctors.
Suitable for prevention with limitations
It is also unclear whether it makes sense to take echinacea to prevent colds. The consumer magazine “Stiftung Warentest” is in part critical of taking echinacea to activate the immune system: On the one hand, echinacea, taken preventively throughout the cold season, is therefore not sensible, since there has not been sufficient evidence that influenza infections can be avoided with it.
On the other hand, activation of the immune system could potentially pose risks: “Extracts from the herb of the coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) are intended to prevent infections, especially colds. The agent is intended to make the mucous membranes less sensitive to pathogens and stimulate the activity of the immune system.
However, there is a risk that previously dormant processes are activated, in which the defense system attacks the body’s own cells and tissue. Serious chronic diseases, which are based on such autoimmune processes, could then break out,” the testers recently wrote on their website.