Ingredient

Echinacea – the Immune Booster
Vasanda Kumar Nadarajah; student, Diploma in Natural Medicine, Malacca College of Complementary Medicine, Melaka.

Echinacea is primarily used for Colds, coughs and flu and other upper respiratory conditions; Enlarged lymph glands, sore throat, Urinary tract infections, and other minor infections. It has a significance effect to combat herpes and candida. Beside this Echinacea also used externally for wounds, skin regeneration, skin infections, psoriasis, eczema and inflammatory skin conditions

Echinacea increases the "non-specific" activity of the immune system stimulating the overall activity of the cells responsible for fighting all kinds of infection. Unlike antibiotics, which are directly toxic to bacteria, echinacea makes our own immune cells more efficient in attacking bacteria, viruses and abnormal cells, including cancer cells.

Echinacea facilitates wound healing and reduces the symptoms of and speeds up recovery from viral infections. Its anti-inflammatory effects make it useful externally against inflammatory skin conditions including psoriasis and eczema. It may also increase resistance to candida, bronchitis, herpes, and other infectious conditions.

Hundreds of scientific studies have documented the chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical applications of echinacea. The most consistently proven effect of echinacea is in stimulating phagocytosis, which is to encourage white blood cells and lymphocytes to attack invading organisms.

Now let us concentrate on the specific actions of Echinacea. It is proven through many scientific studies that Echinacea increases the number and activity of immune system cells, including anti-tumor cells, promotes T-cell activation, stimulates new tissue growth for wound healing, and reduces inflammation in arthritis and inflammatory skin conditions. It gives a good effect on pathogens with its mild antibiotic action which is bacteriostatic, anti-viral and anti-fungal. Beside this Echinacea also inhibits the bacterial enzyme hyaluronidase, to help prevent bacterial access to healthy cells.

There are several studies had been conducted to identify the specifics functions of Echinacea. Firstly a study which was published in 1989 with the title of ‘Zeitschrift fur Phytotherapie’ shows that an extract of echinacea showed an increase of 50%-120% in immune function over a 5 day period. Another study which was a continuation of the above title showed that an extract of echinacea significantly increased the resistance to flu and reduced the symptoms of lymph gland swelling, inflamed nasal passages and headache. In 1978 a journal written by Wacker and hilbig stated that 4500 patients with inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis, 85% were cured with topical applications of echinacea salve. In 1985 scientist known as Wagner and Proksch from Orlando, USA had written in their journal with the title Economic and Medicinal Plant Research that, Human white blood cells, stimulated by echinacea extract increased phagocytosis (consumption) of yeast cells by 20-40% compared to controls.

Here I would like to take this opportunity to explain the best way to consume Echinacea. Most people know that Echacea is used to help fight winter colds but very few people understand how it works or the proper dosing methods for successful cold fighting.

First and foremost, Echinacea is not a product that should be taken daily. Many people make the mistake of taking an Echinacea supplement as part of their daily supplement routine. The philosophy behind this dosing method is, because Echinacea raises the immune system, using the product daily will help fight against contracting a cold. But this is not really the most effective use of Echinacea. This type of preventative measure is much more successful when using antioxidants like vitamins A, C & E.

Echinacea is most effective when the person first notice that he or she have a cold coming up. In this case, his or her body has already begun to produce additional white blood cells to combat the cold. Taking Echinacea at this time helps to increase the number of white blood cells the body is producing. The resulting effect is that the increased numbers of white blood cells overwhelm the cold, eliminating it from the body.