Influenza echinacea

Echinacea, a frequently used herb, is taken to stimulate the immune astern function by increasing the number and activity of immune cells and to stimulate phagocytosis (ingestion and destruction of bacteria and other harmful substanceIt appears to shorten the duration of colds and influenza. 

The purple coneflower Echinacea purpura, and its close relatives, E. angustifolia and E. pallida, are the source of the herb Echinacea, which is widely popular as a nonspecific immune stimulant. These perennials are native to the prairies of North America and are now widely grown garden ornamentals. The root and aerial parts of the plant are the portions used, and the preparation s potency can be verified by the transient tingling sensation produced when it is tasted. Echinacea contains alkamides, caffeic acid esters (echinacoside, cichoric acid, caftaric acid), polysaccharides (heteroxylan), and an essential oil. Some echinacea products are standardized for their echinacoside content. In the past, adulteration with American feverfew (Parthenium integri-folium) was common. Echinacea is now sold either by itself or in combination with golden seal or zinc for the treatment of colds and influenza. 

Benefits Echinacea is held to be one of the most effective detoxifying herbs in Western medicine for a range of ailments, and is now used in ayurvedic medicine. The polyynes and cichoric acid components are reported to have antibacterial and virostatic effects. Echinacea also demonstrates an anti-inflammatory effect due to the alkamides component. As an immune stimulant, it significantly raises immunoglobulin M levels. Antiviral activities against both the Herpes simplex virus Type I and the influenza-A virus have been observed. 

Echinacea was originally utilized by Native Americans as a blood purifier and was used in the treatment of snake bites, infections, and malignancy. Today, echinacea is promoted primarily in oral dosage forms as an immune stimulant that helps increase resistance to colds, influenza, and other infections, although topical products for wounds and inflammatory skin conditions are also available. 

In another study, to evaluate the prophylactic action of Echinacea on Influenza virus Type A, a mixture of four herbal extracts, which included... 

A case report describing a 41-year-old male who took Echinacea routinely at the start of influenza-like illness recalled taking it before each of four clinical episodes of erythema nodosum. These episodes lasted anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks and each time they resolved when the Echinacea was stopped. He was followed a year later and had not had any more recurrences of erythema nodosum. He had other bouts of intermittent influenza illness similar to the previous episodes, which he treated with Echinacea, but the patient was unwilling to rechallenge with Echinacea. The authors concluded that the erythema nodosum could have been caused by a number of... 

Clinically important, potentially hazardous interactions with amiloride, aminoglycosides, amphotericin B, ampicillin, anisindione, anticoagulants, armodafinil, atorvastatin, azathioprine, azithromycin, bacampicillin, basiliximab, bezafibrate, bosentan, bupropion, carbenicillin, caspofungin, cholestyramine, clarithromycin, cloxacillin, co-trimoxazole, corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, daclizumab, danazol, dicloxacillin, dicumarol, digoxin, diltiazem, disulfiram, echinacea, erythromycin, ethotoin, etoposide, ezetimibe, flunisolide, fluoxymesterone, fluvastatin, foscarnet, fosphenytoin, gemfibrozil, hemophilus B vaccine, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, imatinib, imipenem/cilastatin, influenza vaccines, ketoconazole, lanreotide, lopinavir, lovastatin, mephenytoin, methicillin, methoxsalen, methylphenidate, methylprednisolone, methyltestosterone, mezlocillin, mizolastine, mycophenolate, nafcillin, nisoldipine, NSAIDs, orlistat, oxacillin, penicillins, phellodendron, phenytoin, pravastatin, prednisolone, prednisone, pristinamycin, ranolazine, red rice yeast, rifabutin, rifampin, rifapentine, ritonavir, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, sirolimus, spironolactone, St John s wort, sulfacetamide, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfisoxazole, sulfonamides, tacrolimus, telithromycin, tenoxicam, testosterone, ticarcillin, tolvaptan, trabectedin, triamterene, troleandomycin, ursodeoxycholic acid, vaccines, vecuronium, warfarin, zofenopril... 

Echinacea Immune stimulant that helps increase resistance to cold, influenza and other infections, wound healing... 

Echinaceae pallidae radix treatment of common cold/influenza-like syndroms... 

Polysaccharide extract Displayed activity against WSN influenza A in vivo Echinacea purpurea Eusco et al. (2010)... 

The in vivo anti-viral activity has partially been demonstrated (Fusco et al. 2010). The in vivo experiment of polysaccharide extract fiom Echinacea purpurea, a widely consumed botanical product, indicated that mice infected with WSN influenza A and treated with E. purpurea polysaccharide extract had less weight loss than untreated mice but similar pulmonary viral titers. Echinacea-treated mice had lower systemic and pulmonary KC and IL-10 levels and lower systemic IFN-y levels following influenza infection. These suggest that E. purpurea alters the clinical course of influenza infection in mice through modulation of cytokines and not direct antiviral activity. 

Fusco D, Liu X, Savage C et al (2010) Echinacea purpurea aerial extract alters course of influenza infection in mice. Vaccine 28 3956-3962... 

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