Review of 700 Studies Concludes That Echinacea Does Help With Colds

Despite a few studies showing otherwise, a comprehensive review of over 700 scientific studies has concluded that "echinacea has a substantial effect in preventing colds and in limiting their duration."

The paper, published in the July issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, used statistical techniques to combine the results of existing studies and reach conclusions based on the larger sample that resulted. The researchers selected only those trials that used randomized and placebo-controlled techniques: 14 studies involving 1,356 participants for the number of colds and 1,630 for the prevention of colds. The studies varied in the dosages of the herb, the duration it was taken and the species of echinacea used, and the number of participants ranged from 40 to more than 300.

The analysis concluded that echinacea reduced the risk of catching a cold by 58 percent. It also found that the herb significantly shortened the duration of a cold, but there was no general agreement about the magnitude of this effect.

Even this study is not without its detractors. J. David Gangemi, director of the Institute for Neutraceutical Research at Clemson University, said "I think that many of the people who have dedicated their careers to clinical trials in studying these effects are not at all convinced from this analysis that there is this large reduction in incidence and duration of disease."

Perhaps most damning however is that the author of the meta-analysis was non-committal if he would actually take echinacea himself. That said, there appears very little risk of taking it if you feel a cold coming on.

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