The SCD™ Knowledge Base

Echinacea

Elaine writes:
I DO think Echinacea is fine and is a very helpful compound especially if it is in an alcohol solution. In fact, even if it is in the little white pills (with a bit of lactose), I believe it is very helpful when a cold or flu is coming on.

Note
Elaine is referring to the Homeopathic form, it may not be legal in other forms such as allopathic preparations, the plant itself, gelatin capsules or brewed as a tea. see Homeopathy and SCD™ Legality

Kids' study says echinacea doesn't work:-
LOS ANGELES—Echinacea is thought to rev up the immune system, helping the body beat back viral invasions. But a study of the herb's effects on kids has found it neither cut the duration of colds nor lessened symptoms.

Researchers studied 707 upper respiratory infections in more than 400 otherwise healthy kids ages 2 to 11. The youngsters received either the herb in liquid form or a placebo to be taken at the first sign of a cold and continued as long as they felt ill, up to 10 days, over four months.

Not only did echinacea fail to make a dent in their illnesses, but it also produced more skin rashes than the placebo.

The researchers were intrigued by one finding: Echinacea seemed to reduce subsequent colds. It's possible, they wrote, that echinacea boosted immune systems too late to mitigate the immediate cold, "but provided a window of protection."

The study, which appears in the Dec. 3 issue of the Journal Of The American Medical Association, is from the University of Washington and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, both in Seattle; Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash.; Mercer Island Pediatric Associates in Mercer Island, Wash; and the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

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