Upper respiratory infection treatment, echinacea

Echinacea Treatment and prevention of upper respiratory infections, common cold Rash, pruritis, dizziness, unclear long-term effects on the immune system. 

Echinacea remains a popular supplement used as an immunostimulant in the prevention and treatment of infection. Despite inconsistent results from clinical trials attempting to assess effectiveness, its relatively wide margin of safety makes the herb an attractive alternative for prevention and treatment of common infections such as upper respiratory infections. Given the herb s inherent ability to inhibit various C YP450 enzymes, further studies to identify the clinical implications for herb-drug interactions are needed. 

In the United States, Echinacea is marketed primarily in oral dosage forms (tablet, capsule, and liquid) as an immune stimulant used to help with the symptoms of upper respiratory infections (URIs). It has also been promoted as a general immune stimulant to help fight various other infections. Topical preparations are also available for treatment of wounds and inflammatory skin conditions. 

Phase III trials R01 Janies Taylor/ University of Washington Study echinacea for die treatment of upper respiratory infection... 

Phase III trials K23 Bruce Barrett/ University of Wisconsin Test the efficacy of echinacea as early treatment for upper respiratory infection explore dose dependency, compare specific preparations, investigate mechanisms of action... 

Echinacea Echinacea species (E angustifolia E pallida purpurea) Roots and seeds from the echinacea plant Immune stimulant treatment of colds and upper respiratory tract infections applied topically to promote wound healing... 

Echinacea is most often used to enhance immune function in individuals who have colds and other respiratory tract infections. Systematic reviews and cold treatment trials generally report favorable results for Echinacea in reducing symptoms or time to recovery if the agent was administered within the first 24 hours of a cold. To date, however, most of these trials have contained multiple variables (eg, formulation, dose, duration) that make it difficult to make a clear therapeutic recommendation or ensure reproducible outcomes. At best, symptoms and duration may be reduced by about 25-30%. Echinacea has also been evaluated as a prophylactic agent in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infection. These trials have generally been less favorable and have reported no effect. 

Medici TC, Shang H, Grosgurin P et al (1985) No demonstrable effect of sobrerol as an expectorant in patients with stable chronic bronchial diseases. Bull Exp Physiopathol Respir 21 477-83 Melchart D, Linde K, Fischer P et al (1999) Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold, Cochrane Database Syst Rev Issue 1, Art No, CD000530 Melchior J, Spasov AA, Ostrovskij OV et al (2000) Double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot and phase 111 study of activity of standardized Andrographis paniculata Herba Nees extract fixed combination (Kan Jang) in the treatment of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection. Phytomedicine 7 341-350... 

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