Echinacea

Echinacea is a herb that grows wild in parts of North America. It is grown for commercial use in Europe. Manufacturers of echinacea promote it as a treatment to prevent and lessen the symptoms of the common cold, flu and other lung problems. Available scientific evidence does not support its use for the treatment of cancer in humans.

Other common names for echinacea include coneflower, purple coneflower, and American coneflower. There are different varieties of echinacea that you may come across including

• Echinacea purpurea
• Echinacea angustifolia
• Echinacea pallida.

The most widely available as a herbal remedy seems to be echinacea purpurea, although some preparations do not say which variety they contain.

Echinacea is one of the most popular herbal supplements. A survey in America, looking into complementary and alternative medicine use in adults, found that echinacea was the most commonly used natural product. Although there is no evidence that echinacea can help with cancer, some people take it because they believe it might

• Boost their immune system
• Fight their cancer
• Give them some control over their cancer and its treatment
• Treat their cancer if conventional treatment can no longer offer a possible cure

Results of clinical trials in humans don’t show that it can boost the immune system or fight cancer. But research is continuing into the use of echinacea as a treatment for fighting infections and viruses.

There is more about why people with cancer use complementary therapies in our about complementary therapy section.

There is no scientific evidence to show that echinacea can help treat, prevent or cure cancer in any way. Some therapists have claimed that echinacea can help relieve side effects from cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But this hasn’t been proved either.

It is not clear how echinacea works. There is some laboratory research to suggest that echinacea can boost the development of different types of immune cells. And some compounds found in echinacea may help to decrease inflammation, kill bacteria and viruses. But human trials haven’t been able to prove this.

A systematic review published by the Cochrane Library in January 2006 looked at the use of echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. This review looked at 13 trials overall. The results of the trials were mixed, with some studies showing it did help with symptoms and others showing no evidence that it helped. Overall, the review concluded that there was no evidence that echinacea prevented the common cold. Some of the studies showed that echinacea might reduce the length of time colds last and relieve symptoms. But there were others that did not show that it worked. So overall, there is no clear evidence that echinacea can help to treat colds. The authors recommend more research to find out if echinacea can help to treat infections and to find out more about side effects.

Researchers in 1989 reported that echinacea may stimulate the immune system, particularly the cells that monoclonal antibodies target.

Doing clinical trials using herbal treatments, such as echinacea, is often very difficult. One of the biggest challenges researchers face is finding the best dose. Other problems include

• Finding out which part of the plant to use (e.g. the stem, flowers, leaves or root)
• Looking at the differences between the different varieties of echinacea

With these challenges in mind, researchers continue to investigate possible benefits of echinacea in helping to fight infections and viruses. One large phase 3 trial in America is testing echinacea against a placebo as treatment for the common cold. This trial is hoping to recruit 800 secondary school children. It is still recruiting so it will be some time before we have the results.

If you are interested in research, you may find it helpful to read our section on problems with doing research into complementary and alternative therapies.

You can buy echinacea as capsules to swallow with water, or in liquid form to dilute and drink. Dosages vary - because a variety of different species are used in tinctures, tablets and liquids, there is no standard dose. Some herbalists say you shouldn’t take echinacea for longer than 8 weeks because of side effects.

You can also buy echinacea ointment to help heal skin wounds. Echinacea injections are available in some European countries, but not in America.

There are many echinacea products available in health food stores, chemists and over the internet. They all contain different amounts and species of echinacea. Echinacea products sold don’t necessarily contain the variety of echinacea listed on the label. A research study in America in 2003 found that 1 in 10 preparations tested didn’t seem to contain any echinacea at all. There are hundreds of internet sites trying to sell echinacea. So it is important to buy with caution.

Echinacea is thought to be generally safe to take and serious side effects seem to be rare. The more common side effects of echinacea include

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Feeling sick
• Stomach ache
• Constipation
• Skin reactions (redness, itchiness and swelling) - more common in children

Some herbalists say that if you use echinacea for longer than 8 weeks at a time it may damage your liver or suppress your immune system. So they strongly recommend that you don’t take echinacea if you are taking drugs known to affect your liver. If you are taking any other drugs, herbs, or supplements, it is important to check with your doctor before taking echinacea.

There is also the chance of a serious allergic reaction to echinacea but this is very rare.

As echinacea is a herbal product, it won’t necessarily have been thoroughly tested for interactions with foods, drugs or other supplements. This means it is difficult to know for sure how safe it is. It may affect how you absorb drugs and alter the way certain drugs work. It is strongly recommended that you don’t take echinacea if you are

• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• You have a medical condition that affects your immune system, such as an autoimmune disease, HIV or AIDS
• You are taking drugs to suppress your immune system, because it may work against them

Pharmacists and doctors sometimes advise people being treated for lymphoma not to take echinacea, because it could interfere with their treatment.

Our advice is to always read the product labels. And if you are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should check with your doctor about safety.

Always check with your doctor before you start using any type of complementary or alternative therapy. It is very important to find out all you can about the therapy before deciding to use it. We certainly don’t recommend that you replace your conventional cancer treatment with any type of supplement like echinacea. It may be safe to take it alongside your cancer treatment but check with your doctor first to make sure.

Our message is

• Be careful
• Be wary of any websites or people who claim that echinacea can treat or cure your cancer
• Be wary of websites selling echinacea for a very high price
• Make sure you look into the information that is available
• Talk to your cancer doctor before you buy
• You may find it useful to read our section on the safety of herbal products

Echinacea is sold in health food shops, chemists and over the internet. As with many dietary and herbal products the price can vary depending on

• The dose
• The amount you buy
• Where you buy it (health food shops, chemist or online)
• If you buy online the prices vary a lot. For example, for 60 capsules containing 1000mg of echinacea, you can pay anywhere between £2:99 and £10:99.

Some of the complementary therapy organisations can offer information about using echinacea.