Echinacea additive

All echinacea extracts markedly inhibited CYP-mediated metabolism. The findings with aliquots of the soft gel product extracts were variable (Table 4). Inhibition was moderate to high toward CYP2D6 and 3A4, but only NRP 69 and 72 had an inhibitory effect against CYP2C9. In addition, NRP 71 did not inhibit CYP2C19-mediated metabolism. 

Echinacea is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States and as a natural health product in Canada. However, Health Canada does support the use of Echinacea in food products thus functional foods could be developed for the Canadian market. In the United States and Canada, there are no restrictions on the species/varieties used in products. In Germany and many European countries, Echinacea products are sold as drugs in pharmacies (Bauer, 2000). In addition, not all products are approved for use in all countries. For example, E. purpurea aerial parts and E. pallida roots are approved in Germany whereas E. angustifolia and E. purpurea roots are not (Blumenthal, 1998). 

One issue not resolved by the DSHEA, specifically for botanical or herbal dietary products, is the lack of standardization of the active component. As mentioned previously, the standardization of Echinacea products is based on the level of plant material rather than one specific compound. In many cases, the specific compound responsible for the health benefit has not been fully characterized. In addition, many phytochemical constituents may participate in an observed health benefit. The lack of standardized preparations may, in fact, be responsible for the conflicting reports surrounding the biological activity of Echinacea. 

Echinacea is promoted as an immune-enhancing herbal product and could be easily incorporated into cereal-based products (Wilson, 1998) to create a functional food. There are over 300 research articles dealing with the biological activity of Echinacea. In addition, over two million prescriptions... 

Other components in the Echinacea products may contribute to many of the adverse reactions reported, not only Australian, but also the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. Additional studies are needed to further support the IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reported in Echinacea-containing products. Studies could include growing and processing of Echinacea under environmentally controlled conditions, with the intent to minimize foreign contaminants, and administration of extracts to patients under supervision. Although this would not represent real-world conditions, it may further support or refute the IgE-mediated hypersensitivity observed in subjects taking commercial Echinacea products. Additional work is also needed to identify the component responsible for the IgE-mediated hypersensitivity. 

In addition to oil-stability evaluations, AA retention was evaluated in orange juice treated with E. purpurea and E. angustifolia extracts and stored at room temperature. Our initial studies at North Dakota State University showed that the addition of ground Echinacea plant tissue was ineffective at preventing AA loss. For example, only 8% of the AA remained after 48 h in the orange juice treated with dried aerial parts. A 30% loss of AA after 48 h was found in the control juice. In contrast, 91 and 94% of AA was retained in the orange juice treated with ethanol extracts of the aerial parts and roots, respectively. In a subsequent study,... 

Echinacea 1. Hepatotoxic drugs, e.g. anabolic steroids 2. amiodarone 3. Methotrexate 4. Ketoconazole Risk of additive hepatotoxicity Use of echinacea for over 8 weeks can cause hepatotoxicity Be aware and use drugs with a potential to cause hypertonicity cautiously, monitoring clinically and biochemically for any early signs of hepatic dysfunction... 

Although the horse appears to be refractory to the hepatic effects of most NSAIDs, their hepato-toxic potential should be considered, especially when they are concomitantly administered with other potentially hepatotoxic agents, such as fluoroquinolones, potentiated sulfonamides or anabolic steroids. In addition, many herbal preparations are potential hepatotoxic agents and clients may administer these compounds concurrently with prescribed NSAIDs without consulting their veterinarian. Echinacea and kava kava products, for example, are reported to be potential hepatotoxins and both are used in herbal remedy products that claim to produce calming or sedating effects in horses (Abebe 2002). 

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