| A study published in the New England Journal of | | | | one that had anywhere near the level of alkylamides |
| Medicine in July 2005 which found that echinacea was | | | | that their strongest echinacea product did. Echinacea |
| not effective against the common cold, has indeed | | | | alkylamides are an important active constituent |
| affected sales of echinacea - and public perception - | | | | responsible for immune stimulation. |
| in some quarters. In the UK, for example, sales | | | | It is significant that even amongst commercial |
| dropped from a high of 6.1 million euros to 4.9 million | | | | products - made by companies with a vested |
| in 2005. This is unfortunate, as the study has been | | | | interest in getting echinacea extracts right - there is |
| roundly criticised in a number of areas. | | | | such a variance in quality. Even Consumer Lab, an |
| There are 3 basic areas that been called into question | | | | independent testing organization, noticed quite a |
| within the study: | | | | variance in different commercial preparations. They |
| 1. The dosage. | | | | were testing for phenols, not alkylamides, though. |
| 2. The type of echinacea product used. | | | | But what hope is there that one study lab, |
| 3. The relevance of artificially inducing a virus in young | | | | inexperienced in making echinacea, was able to |
| and healthy volunteers. | | | | produce the quality that many commercial |
| The dosage of echinacea used is one of the most | | | | preparations failed to deliver? In any case, unless the |
| critical points. Even assuming the quality of echinacea | | | | study co-ordinators provide a chemical profile of the |
| extract used in the study was the same as that | | | | echinacea they made, any comparisons to commercial |
| used by good commercial preparations, the study | | | | products are without scientific foundation. |
| participants were given about one third of the | | | | One of the study authors, David Gangemi, even said |
| recommended dosage for those suffering a cold. | | | | this about the dosage and the extract they used: "I |
| Sick college students in the study were only given 1.5 | | | | think in retrospect if we go back and we look at |
| ml extracts of echinacea, three times a day. In | | | | some of the other products that are out there |
| milligrams, the 1.5ml was approximately equivalent to | | | | maybe we're only one tenth the level we should be." |
| 300mg of the dried powdered root, or 900 mg of | | | | The final point that has been raised about the study |
| echinacea in total per day. Compare this to the | | | | is just how relevant it is to compare the experience |
| dosage recommended by the World Health | | | | of healthy college students, with a good immune |
| Organization (WHO), which is 3 grams per day of the | | | | system, to the typical consumer of echinacea |
| dried root. So, the World Health Organization | | | | supplements. As one herbalist said, it is difficult to |
| recommends 330% MORE echinacea per day for cold | | | | generalize their experience: "This could be irrelevant |
| and flu symptoms. As Michael McGuffin, of the | | | | to the real life situation where people with |
| American Herbal Products Association, said: "It's like | | | | compromised immunity are exposed to a range of |
| conducting a study on the effect of a third of an | | | | constantly evolving viruses and bacteria." |
| aspirin and wondering why you still got a headache." | | | | There are a lot of studies that have found echinacea |
| The headache continues for good science. Looking at | | | | does in fact help alleviate the symptoms of colds and |
| the type of echinacea extract used in the study, | | | | flus, and help in the recovery process. The American |
| there are further discrepancies when compared with | | | | Botanical Council provides summaries of 21 clinical trials |
| commercial preparations. | | | | on different echinacea preparations, and types of |
| The study used extracts that were made in a | | | | echinacea (there are 3 species) on their website. It's |
| university lab. If there was a standard method to | | | | a shame that these successful trials did not receive |
| extracting echinacea so that all of the active | | | | the same media coverage that a flawed study did. |
| ingredients were present in the same quantities, this | | | | References: |
| would not be a problem. However, this is just not the | | | | 1. American Botanical Council |
| case. MediHerb, who make herbal preparations under | | | | 2. MediHerb Clinical Support and the Standard Process |
| the guidelines of pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing | | | | website |
| Practices, wrote that after testing other commercial | | | | 3. |
| echinacea products worldwide, they could not find | | | | |