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Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold.
Marlies Karsch-Völk1, Bruce Barrett2, Klaus Linde1
1Institute of General Practice, Technische Universität München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, München, Germany.
JAMA
|February 11, 2015
Summary
Echinacea products show no significant effect on preventing or shortening the duration of the common cold. However, an exploratory analysis suggests a potential small reduction in cold incidence with Echinacea use.
Area of Science:
- Herbal medicine research
- Infectious disease epidemiology
Background:
- The common cold is a widespread viral infection.
- Echinacea is a popular herbal remedy often used for cold prevention and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Echinacea products in reducing the incidence and duration of the common cold compared to placebo.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of individual prophylaxis and treatment trials.
- Comparison of outcomes between Echinacea groups and placebo groups.
Main Results:
- Individual prophylaxis trials did not demonstrate a significant association between Echinacea products and common cold prevention.
- An exploratory meta-analysis indicated a potential, though small, reduction in cold incidence with Echinacea use.
- Treatment trials found no association between Echinacea products and a shorter duration of common cold symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence does not support Echinacea products for common cold prevention or treatment duration.
- Further research may be warranted to explore the potential modest effect on cold incidence.
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