The 411 on Echinacea

There is no doubt that the market for natural remedies, herbal medicines, so-called "alternative" medicine and so forth has arrived. Just walk into your workplace complaining of a cold, flu or even a sore knee and you will likely to met with a barrage of such remedies from your co-workers. One of the most popular one is echinacea, a purple cornflower, which reportedly can help shorten or stave off a cold. But is it really effective?

Newsweek cited a recent meta study from University of Connecticut that looked at 14 previous studies and determined that the answer is "maybe." Because more than 200 viruses are known to cause the symptoms of the common cold, echinacea's effectiveness may depend on which virus a subject is exposed to. Another factor is that not all brand's of echniacea are the same. Because of these and other variables, why some studies showed quite positive effects others showed none. For example, on study that published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2005 found that echinacea did no better than a placebo.

That said, "when combined the results of 14 previous studies, all clinical trials with human beings, they found that taking echinacea reduces the chances of getting a cold by 31 percent. And if you've already come down with one, the herb will make you feel better a day and a half earlier."

The Newsweek article ends with this good advice, ask your doctor before taking it.