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Echinacea- Sources, Benefits
I was the last one to jump on the Echinacea bandwagon. I'd tried it. One pill here, one pill there. No effect. But when a flu dragged on into a third week, an acne breakout wouldn't heal, and I started to suddenly get intermittent headaches a friend said,
"You're not taking enough echinacea. You need to take 3 (approximately 800-1000 mg) every 4 hours for a couple of days or until you're better."
I was better the next day! In three days my skin was clear, my headaches were gone and I felt alive again!
Clearly my immune system had been exhausted and needed a boost. And that seems to be exactly what echinacea does.
Echinacea stimulates the immune system, particularly the very important T-cells, as well as macrophage and lymphocyte function and possibly interferon production. But because it's a stimulator - not a nutrient your body needs - you must only take echinacea as you would antibiotics, letting your body rest and get back to normal after "a round".
In America the common thinking is that echinacea shouldn't be taken - at least in therapeutic doses - longer than 3 weeks. In Europe they think that's too long! The talk when I was there was 3 days in a row was the limit for a round of echinacea. The point is the same : Echinacea shouldn't be taken like a daily vitamin. (Irresponsible supplement companies give the whole industry a bad name by labeling their echinacea with bad health advice: "As a dietary supplement take one/two a day" like it's a daily vitamin. Some do suggest a limit - of 8 weeks! Know: Eight weeks is probably too long for a therapeutic dose.)
Interestingly, studies are not showing any consistent success using echinacea to treat colds but the rest of us are. It has been found to help colds, flu, upper respiratory and urinary infections, wounds, burns and ulcerations.
If you look at the studies, they're not taking enough! A study done this summer (2004) that showed taking echinacea at the first sign of a cold didn't help used only 300 milligrams a day! That's what I was doing, too, when it didn't work!
No, you have to take 800-1000 mg. and take it per dose - not per day. This is an herb, a plant - not a powerful concentrated drug. When you look at those capsules you have to imagine having a teabag full of the stuff inside for one dose.
Echinacea has been found to be somewhat disappointing among people with cancer trying to take advantage of its boost of T-cell activity - except, apparently, in the case of liver cancer. (See this wonderful site about herbs and cancer.)
Important Echinacea Facts in a nutshell
- Echinacea is a stimulator, not a nutrient, and therefore it seems it would put a stress on the body.
- Echinacea probably shouldn't be taken every day for long periods in any amount.
- When using echinacea to arrest a cold (or other illness) large amounts of echinacea are needed (800-1000mg) 3- 4 times a day for a short period of time (1-3 days) to experience success.
- Very very rarely someone taking large doses of echinacea will have nausea, diarrhea or a fever. That can indicate an allergy. Calling a doctor is advised.
UnImportant Echinacea Facts in a nutshell
- I turned my mother on to echinacea and she raves about it. This is Mrs. Doctor-is-god-and-only-drugs-work-and-alternative-healing-products-are-either-worthless-or-dangerous. She was married to Mr. And-people-who-make-web-sites-about-them-are-nuts. (So I told her about all the doctors who are taking it.) This last winter she didn't have ONE COLD thanks to taking echinacea at the first sign of a sniffle. (Yeah yeah, I know... could have been the placebo effect, but I don't think so!)
- My favorite echinacea products have goldenseal in them. They seem to work better. I look for high-quality reputable companies. I like herbs that smell (when possible) and prefer capsules to tablets for better absorption. That pretty much rules out the Walgreens brand :-)
- Dustin in Wisconsin gave me the short-course on proper echinacea dosing. Thanks, Dustin! You saved my winter that year!
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