[MPWG] NEJM Echinacea study

rrr at montana.com rrr at montana.com
Fri Jul 29 10:43:00 CDT 2005


Dear MPWG folks,

The traditional use of Echinacea by indigenous folks was not for colds and
flu. It was for venomous bites, wounds and infections.

The use of Echinacea by the Eclectic physicians of the late 1800s, early
1900s, was not for colds and flu. It was for “bad blood;  to correct fluid
depravation with tendency to sepsis and malignancy, best shown in its
power in gangrene, carbuncles, boils, 
 septicemia
” (Felter, 1922).

The use of Echinacea today by professional medical herbalists is primarily
for infection and immune dysfunction. Though many medical herbalists still
view Echinacea as an immunostimulant, just as many believe this is an
oversimplification and that Echinacea functions as an immunomodulatory,
restoring the dysfunctional immune response. In fact, many medical
herbalists use Echinacea in formula with other herbs (almost always) in
rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis (2005 unpublished survey, M. MacDonald,
Univ of Westminster, London), disregarding the widely ascribed belief
(with little evidence to support it) that Echinacea should not be used in
autoimmune conditions.

So why continually search for effectiveness in colds and flu, especially
in light of many previous studies showing little or no effect?

More interesting is the determined loyalty to the 1992 reference, the
German E Commission Monographs, which contains NO citations to validate
efficacy, contraindications, or dosage. Is this really good science?

The MPWG list should be quite aware by now of the crucial importance of
asking for traditional wisdom, here found in today’s medical herbalists
both in the US and in England and Australia.

The recently released NEJM Echinacea Study used 900 mg per day compared to
doses published by one German expert Echinacea researcher and some
well-respected medical herbalists in practice:
Hobbs: 1.2 – 2.2 grams per day (using 1:5 tincture)
Bauer: 3.2- 8 grams (tincture strength unknown so 1:5 is assumed here)
Bone: 5 – 15 grams per day (using 1:2 tincture)

To most medical herbalists the recent Echinacea studies just reinforce
their belief that researchers not only enjoy beating dead horses with low
doses, but are also sadly barking up the wrong tree.

Robyn Klein, AHG, MS, Medical Botany
Department of Plant Sciences
Montana State University






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