Echinacea is Effective if you use an Effective Product

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Echinacea is Effective if you use an Effective Product

 

Introduction

 

Modern research has shown echinacea to exert significant effects on

immune function in over 300 scientific investigations. However, not

all of the clinical studies have been positive. While some studies

have been positive, others have not. Results are difficult to

interpret because of the lack of quality control in the preparations

used. The reason for the mixed results is most likely to the lack of

consistency in the product being used. If the product, by chance,

had sufficient levels of active compounds it would be effective. If

not, then it would likely be no more effective than a placebo. What

determines the effectiveness of any herbal product is its ability to

deliver an effective dosage of active compounds. Chemical analysis

of commercial Echinacea preparations has demonstrated tremendous

variation in the levels of key compounds even within the same

product from batch to batch.

 

The latest study

 

The most recent study on echinacea was a landmark study for several

reasons. Not only was it the largest ever on an herbal treatment for

children, it was the first time ever, that the medical journal JAMA

(Journal of the American Medical Association) has published a

research study in which Bastyr University played a key role. The

study was done in collaboration between Bastyr University; the

University of Washington; and Children's Hospital and Regional

Medical Center.1

 

The results of the study were that " the form of echinacea at the

dose used in the study did not lessen the length or severity of a

cold, once a child has contracted it. " In the study, 524 children

were randomized to receive echinacea or a placebo and parents were

instructed to administer as soon as the symptoms of a cold appeared.

Researchers looked at both the efficacy of treatment and possible

side effects of Echinacea therapy. While the echinacea product did

not reduce the severity of cold symptoms as assessed by parents,

those receiving echinacea experienced fewer second and third colds

than children on placebo. Echinacea was observed to be generally

safe, " well tolerated " according to the researchers, producing no

serious adverse effects. However, there was a higher incidence of

rash in the Echinacea group (7.1%) than in the placebo group (2.7%).

The rashes reported in this study might be due to allergic reactions

to pollens in the echinacea preparation, since the product used

contained the fresh-pressed juice of the above-ground part of the

echinacea rather than an extract.

 

My interpretation of the study

 

I had predicted these results as soon as I became aware of this

study. First of all, cold trials in children have shown that even

conventional over-the-counter cold medicines are produce little

efficacy. It is simply difficult to design a trial evaluating the

common cold in children. Next, I felt that the form of echinacea

being used and the dosage recommended was not likely to produce any

real benefit. The product used is fraught with consistency and

quality control problems. It is not standardized for levels of

active constituents and there is tremendous batch to batch and intra-

batch batch variation of constituents.2 It is highly unlikely that

due to the product used and the dosage given that the children

received a sufficient level of the active compounds of echinacea. In

addition, it was administered within a base of a syrup. Since sugar

is known to impair white blood cell function, some of the beneficial

effects of echinacea could have been hindered by giving it in a

syrup.

 

Your question may be " why did researchers test a product if it had

little chance of showing effectiveness? " My answer to that question

is that the study was being funded by the manufacturer of the

echinacea product. While I applaud the company for funding research,

I am upset that many consumers may get the wrong message from the

results of the study and how it was portrayed in the media. Keep in

mind that the researchers themselves indicated that that other

Echinacea preparations and dosing regimens may be effective for the

treatment of colds, even though the product they tested in children

was not.

 

The bottom line here is that echinacea is effective if you use an

effective product.

 

Echinamide is the world's best

 

For assurance of an effective product, I recommend Echinamide, a

patented, super-extracted Echinacea product developed and marketed

by Natural Factors. Many experts now consider Echinamide to be the

ultimate Echinacea product on the market. Echinamide is unique in

that it not only has standardized levels of active compounds; they

are in ratios that have been shown to produce the greatest effect.

It is not enough to be high in any one particular component of

Echinacea, for maximum benefit it is very important that the product

contain all of the active components in their natural and most

effective ratios. And, that is exactly what makes Echinamide

different from all other Echinacea products.

 

Many manufacturers are not employing the necessary quality control

tests required to insure that the Echinacea is being grown properly

and is harvested at the exact time for maximal levels of all active

compounds. It is also imperative that the Echinacea be treated

properly after harvesting. First of all, it is absolutely essential

to use fresh plant material versus the dried plant or roots that

most manufacturers use. Studies indicate that a significant amount

of the active ingredients are destroyed in the drying process.3,4

 

Processing time is also very important. If the fresh plant material

is not processed immediately, the content of several key components -

especially cichoric acid, alkylamides,- will be low (as much as 80%

will be lost). It is also essential that the extraction be carried

out under ideal circumstances. Natural Factors committed to finding

the best conditions for extraction of Echinacea to yield the highest

level of active components. They determined the best portion of the

plant to use as well as the right temperature, length of time for

extraction, and right concentrations for alcohol and water. And,

since the active components have different solubility

characteristics (some are more soluble in water, others are more

soluble in alcohol), they conduct different extractions to

concentrate the different active compounds and then blend the

extracts together to produce Echinamide.

 

Dr. Rudolf Bauer of the Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf,

Germany, has conducted and published more research on Echinacea than

any other person. His research has been critical not only to the

understanding of Echinacea but also to its growing acceptance as an

immune enhancing agent. According to Dr. Bauer " Echinamide is unique

in that it has certain standardized levels of polysaccharides,

cichoric acid, and alkylamides. " And, on the research conducted with

Echinamide, Dr. Bauer said, " This new data which has produced

pharmacological results cannot be transferred to other products. "

There are over 300 Echinacea products sold in the world, but there

is only one with the unique chemical profile of Echinamide. Here is

a brief summary of the advances made by the scientists at Natural

Factors:

 

Improved analytical techniques

Developed the appropriate techniques in chemical analysis to isolate

and measure the substances within Echinacea purpurea that are

responsible for its immune enhancing effects.

 

Better Growing Conditions

Natural Factors has determined the optimal growing conditions using

100% organic growing standards for Echinacea purpurea to yield the

highest levels of active compounds.

 

More Precise Harvesting

By determining the level of active compounds through the growing

cycle, Natural Factors harvests the plant at the most ideal time -

when it is highest in active compounds.

 

Use of Fresh Herb

Natural Factors uses fresh Echinacea purpurea because up to 30% of

the active compounds are lost in the drying process.

 

Advanced Extraction Techniques

Many key compounds in echinacea are typically lost during the

extraction phase or are left behind due to inappropriate extraction.

Natural Factors has developed a patented extraction technique that

results in a product with the highest levels and broadest range of

active compounds available.

 

Improved Experimental Models

Natural Factors worked with leaders in pharmacology to develop the

experimental models designed to better understand and measure the

immune enhancing effects of echinacea.

 

Proper Clinical Evaluation

The encouraging results from preliminary studies with Echinamide are

being followed by detailed clinical studies at major Universities.

 

The immune enhancing compounds in Echinamide

 

The most important constituents of echinacea can be divided into

three major categories: (1) polysaccharides; (2) cichoric acid and

other caffeic acid derivatives; and (3) alkylamides. Since echinacea

contains a wide assortment of chemical constituents with confirmed

immune enhancing effects, it is important for manufacturers to

insure sufficient levels of all these active compounds.

Unfortunately, most echinacea products on the market do not specify

the levels of active compounds because they have not been analyzed

for them. And, when manufacturers do state the level of a particular

marker compound most consumers fail to realize that concentrating

only for one particular active compound of echinacea results in loss

of other constituents and, as a result, all of the synergistic

effects. For example, some manufacturers standardize for " total

phenolic content " or the compound echinacoside. However, although

these sort of Echinacea extracts were found to have some antioxidant

properties recent studies have found them to have no effect on

enhancing immune function in experimental animal studies.5

 

Synergistic effect defined

 

One of the most interesting phenomena in nature is synergy. In the

case of echinacea, it appears that while individual immune enhancing

compounds produce significant effects when they are combined in

meaningful amounts there is an additive effect. The immune enhancing

components of echinacea work together in a harmonious fashion to

produce the phenomena of synergy. In other words, 1 + 1 + 1 = 6. In

order to appreciate this synergy, let's take a look at Echinacea's

effect on white blood cells known as macrophages ( " big eaters " ).

These cells filter the lymph and blood by engulfing and destroying

bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells through a process known as

phagocytosis.

 

One of the key manners in which echinacea enhances immune function

is via enhancing the ability of macrophages to engulf and destroy

particulate matter.1-4 By enhancing the activity of these " garbage

collectors " of the body; in essence the blood is purified. The

specific components of echinacea responsible for this effect are the

polysaccharides, alkylamides, and cichoric acid. While each of these

components is effective alone, the greatest degree of enhancement

noted in research by Dr. Tapan Basu at the University of Alberta

when the three active components are used in combination in the form

of Echinamide.6 What Dr. Basu demonstrated was the phenomena of

synergy along with a clear dose dependent effect. In other words,

Dr. Basu demonstrated that the effects with the three actives was

greater than any individual active and that the higher the dosage of

Echinamide the greater the effect on enhancing macrophage function.

 

Dr. Basu and others have also demonstrated that in addition to

enhancing the ability of the macrophages to engulf and destroy

foreign molecules, the active components of Echinamide also increase

the ability of the macrophage to detect the presence of foreign

matter in the blood and signal the other components of the immune

system to mount an attack.6,7 This signal is in the form of chemical

messengers. Over a dozen different factors have been identified.

 

Echinamide also exerts actions on other types of white blood cells,

particularly interesting is its action on another type of white

blood cell known as natural killer cells. Natural killer (NK) cells

got their name because they can destroy cells that have become

cancerous or infected with viruses. Typically NK cell levels or

activity will be reduced in individuals suffering from either

chronic viral illness (such as chronic hepatitis or chronic fatigue

syndrome) or cancer. Also, a decline in NK cell number or activity

is also a common feature of aging.

 

Take Echinamide

 

During this cold and flu season it is a good idea to have Echinamide

hand as it provides the best way to gain all of the benefits that

echinacea has to offer in the fight against the common cold.

Echinamide is available in several different forms. My favorite is a

product called Anti-V. In this product, Echinamide is combined with

other immune enhancing and antiviral herbal compounds. Although

available in capsules as well, I recommend using the liquid extract

version of Anti-V for maximum benefit. Each Echinamide product has

clear dosage recommendations for adults and children.

 

 

 

Key references:

 

Taylor JA, Weber W, Standish L, et al. Efficacy and safety of

echinacea in treating upper respiratory tract infections in

children: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2003;290(21):2824-30.

Bauer R: Standardization of Echinacea pupurea expressed juice with

reference to cichoric acid and alkamides. J Herbs Spices Medicinal

Plants 1999;6:51-61.

Perry NB, van Klink JW, Burgess EJ, Parmenter GA: Alkamide levels in

Echinacea purpurea: effects of processing, drying and storage.

Planta Med 2000;66:54-6.

Kim HO, Durance TD, Scaman CH, Kitts DD: Retention of caffeic acid

derivatives in dried echinacea purpurea. J Agric Food Chem

2000;48:4182-6.

Rininger JA, Kickner S, Chigurupati P, et al.: Immunopharmacological

activity of Echinacea preparations following simulated digestion on

murine macrophages and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Leukoc Biol 2000;68:503-10.

Goel, V, Chang C, Slama JV, et al.: Echinacea stimulates macrophage

function in lungs and in spleens of normal rats. J Nutr Biochem

2002;13:487-92.

Goel V, Chang C, Slama JV, et al. Alkylamides of Echinacea purpurea

stimulate alveolar macrophage function in normal rats. Int

Immunopharmacol 2002;2:381-7.

 

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