Echinacea - Rev Up Your Immune System

October 4, 2008 – 3:28 am

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Your body’s immune system is your first line of defense against toxins, infections, bacteria, and other unfriendly invaders. Your overall health is directly related to the condition of your immune system.

The immune system is a complex group of mechanisms that guard against infection by identifying and destroying pathogens (the bad guys). A healthy immune system is able to distinguish pathogens from the normal cells and tissues. This process of identifying and destroying pathogens is complicated as the pathogens are continuously evolving and trying to invade the cells in different forms.

Factors that influence how well your immune system functions are: the quality and quantity of the food, water, and air you consume, the stress you experience, the amount of sleep and exercise you get each day, use of prescription and over-the cover drugs, use of stimulants (caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, etc.), and what you take to support the immune system.

Fresh, wholesome fruits and vegetable and foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids can have a positive impact on the immune system. Consuming an adequate supply of pure water helps the body remove toxins and other wastes. Chronic stress tends to weaken the immune system resulting in more frequent infections, illnesses, and other health problems. Getting adequate sleep (7-9 hours) helps replenish the immune system. Insufficient sleep can make the body more susceptible to disease and cause greater stress (further weakening the body’s immunity). Moderate exercise helps immune cells circulate through the body faster, which aids in destroying pathogens. Long-term use of drugs and stimulants tend to weaken the immune system resulting in additional health problems. In traditional medicine systems, there are herbs (such as echinacea, astragalus, yellow dock, ginseng, reishi, elderberry, cordyceps, and rhodiola) that appear to stimulate and sustain the immune system.
Echinacea (also known as the purple coneflower) is a wildflower native to North America and was traditionally used by Native Americans as a remedy for snakebites and as a general antiseptic for infections. It was first introduced into US medical practice in the late 1800s and was used to treat a variety of kidney and urinary tract infections, chronic bacterial infections, and syphilis.

The three species of Echinacea that are used for medicinal purposes are: Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea Purpurea, and Echinacea Pallida. Active constituents in Echinacea include alkylamides/polyacetylenes, caffeic derivatives (primarily echinocoside), flavonoids, and polysaccharides. All these constituents appear to work together to provide echinacea’s immune-stimulating effect.

Echinacea Health Benefits
Keeping one’s immune system performing in the best possible manner should be of paramount importance to everyone, since it controls our ability to maintain a healthy body. Sadly, too many people don’t understand the important role the immune system plays in their health and what they need to do to ensure that it functions properly. Food, lifestyle, and how we take care of our body play an important role in determining how well the immune system functions. Echinacea appears to stimulate the production of white blood cells, which helps to strengthen the immune system.

Scientific Studies
An article published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics shares the results of a double blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of Echinacea for reducing the severity and duration of symptoms of a naturally occurring common cold. For this trial, 282 subjects with a history of two or more colds per year were asked to participant. The subjects were between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five years and were in good health. The subjects were randomly given either echinacea or a placebo and were told to take the preparation at the start of the first cold symptoms. On the first day, they consume ten doses and then four doses per day for the next seven days. The subjects recorded the severity of their symptoms each day, with medical evaluations on the third and eight mornings. A total of 128 subjects (fifty-nine on echinacea and sixty-nine on placebo) experienced a cold during the study. The daily symptom scores for the echinacea group were 23.1 per cent lower than the placebo group. Researchers observed that the echinacea group responded better than the other group. Researchers concluded from the results that early intervention with echinacea helped reduce the severity of symptoms for those suffering from upper respiratory tract infections.

References:
Goel V., Lovlin R., Barton R., Lyon M.R., Bauer R., Lee T.D., Basu T.K. “Efficacy of a standardized echinacea preparation (Echinilin) for the treatment of the common cold: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.” Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics (29-1, pg 75-83): Blackwell Publishing: Massachusetts; 2004.

Resources:
Monograph – “Echinacea.” Alternative Medicine Review (6-4, pg 411-414): Thorne Research, Inc.: Idaho; 2001.
Mowrey, Daniel. “Echinacea.” Keats Publishing: Illinois: 1999.