November 5, 2004 – An Echinacea extract product (Echinacea purpura), standardized and sold under the name Echinilin, would have reduced the symptoms and duration of the common cold, according to the results of a study1 from the University of Alberta in Western Canada.
To verify the product’s effectiveness, the researchers first selected 282 people, aged 18 to 65, who had contracted the common cold on at least two occasions during the winter preceding the study. The participants were all in good health and were not taking any medication.
Of these, 128 got colds during the double-blind clinical trial. They were randomly divided into two groups: 59 were treated with echinacea extract, while 69 were given a placebo. Participants in the first group were to take ten doses of the product on the day of the first cold symptoms, then reduce the dosage to four doses per day over the next six days.
Throughout the treatment week, participants in both groups were asked to rate the extent of their symptoms daily, using a ten-point scale. To validate these subjective results, all met a nurse twice, so that she noted the symptoms objectively.
In the end, the researchers observed that the symptoms experienced by the participants who took the echinacea extract were 23.1% less severe than those of the members of the placebo group. In addition, the product would have made it possible to reduce the duration of the common cold.
The results also reportedly revealed that echinacea extract was found to be particularly effective in reducing congestion and runny nose, as well as relieving sore throat.
According to the authors, this would be the first study measuring the effects of an echinacea extract manufactured in a standardized way. It would also be the first time that a statistically significant efficacy of such a product on cold symptoms has been observed.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Goel V, Lovlin R, Barton R, Lyon MR, et al, Efficacity of a standardized Echinacea preparation (Echinilin) for the treatment of the common cold: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Journal of Clinical Pharmacy & Therapeutics, February 2004, Vol. 29, No 1, 75-83
