Can echinacea prevent the common cold? Unfortunately, the jury’s still out on that

'Tis the season once more for the common cold to run amock in our families, with many of us turning to herbal supplements containing echinacea to fight them.

Many folks claim that echinacea wards off colds, shortens the length of a cold or reduces the severity of their symptoms.

Echinacea has an ancient pedigree that runs back hundreds, if not thousands of years. It’s derived from the common cone plant indigenous in the Canadian Prairies and Great Plains region of the United States, and was used as herbal remedy by Native Americans as an antiseptic and analgesic for anything from toothaches to poisonous bites. Eventually settlers adopted its use and its popularity spread throughout North America and Europe.

Now we get extracts taken from domesticated versions of these plants, widely available in over-the-counter sections of pharmacies and general stores. Combined with its ease of use, low associated risks and good reputation, it’s very likely that its popularity will continue to grow.

But does this widely-used herb extract really work? Well, when it comes to scientific studies looking into the benefits of this natural plant extract – the results have been mixed, at best.

In some studies, researchers found in no cases did echinacea prevent colds. Others have concluded that echinacea can stimulate the immune system, shortening the duration and lessening the severity of a cold. In others, they found some patients who took echinacea were less likely to get a cold, but only 10 to 20 per cent less likely.

Why the discrepancy? The problem appears to be how the studies were conducted and how the preparations of the extract were made, according to ethnobotanist and medicinal plant expert John Arnason.

“Natural health products are regulated by Health Canada, however there are so many forms that can be made by companies – it can really be confusing,” said Arnason, a researcher at University of Ottawa.

“We are talking about variations in the way the extract is produced and can include things like using different species, and parts of the plant, and even using varying concentrations of the extract.”

These mixed results have only muddied the waters for those hoping to avoid catching a cold and has kept many doctors doubting the extract’s abilities.

“I think a big part of all the skepticism in the conventional medical community exists because that some of the preparations on the market have not been clinically tested properly,” explained Arnason.

“Some of the studies out there showing no effects may have been clinically flawed in that they didn’t test the same parts of the plant, nor at the same concentrations. It’s an apples and oranges thing.”

Therapeutic uses of echinacea, like many other herbal remedies on the market, are made for mild cases of illnesses, Arnason says, and are only partially refined, unlike most other drugs on the market. And since there are so many unknowns as to what plant parts or concentrations may be most effective, the relief you get from your cold symptoms may end up being minor, if at all.

“The fact is though that echinacea is no magic cocktail, and barring a vaccine we are stuck with viruses, like it or not,” Arnason said.