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Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold
Marlies Karsch-Völk1, Bruce Barrett, David Kiefer
1Institut für Allgemeinmedizin/Institute of General Practice, Technische Universität München/Klinikum rechts der Isar, Orlansstr. 47, München, Germany, 81667.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|February 21, 2014
Summary
Echinacea preparations did not demonstrate significant benefits for treating or preventing common colds in this review. While some studies showed non-significant positive trends for prevention, the clinical relevance remains questionable.
Area of Science:
- Herbal medicine
- Pharmacology
- Clinical research
Background:
- Echinacea (family Asteraceae) is widely used for common colds.
- Product variability in Echinacea preparations is common due to plant material, extraction, and added components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Echinacea preparations versus placebo for common cold prevention and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing Echinacea mono-preparations with placebo.
- Searched multiple databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) up to June 2013.
- Assessed trial quality using Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool.
Main Results:
- Twenty-four RCTs with 4631 participants were included.
- No statistically significant difference in cold prevention was found, though a post hoc analysis suggested a 10-20% risk reduction.
- Echinacea showed no significant effect on cold duration in treatment trials; adverse events did not differ significantly, but a trend for dropouts in prevention was noted.
Conclusions:
- Echinacea products did not show clear benefits for treating colds.
- A potential weak benefit from some Echinacea products for prevention is possible, but clinical relevance is questionable.
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