Echinacea for the Common Cold
Authors: Ethan B. Russo
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters7 October 2003Echinacea for the Common ColdEthan B. Russo, MDEthan B. Russo, MDFrom Montana Neurobehavioral Specialists; Missoula, MT 59802.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-7-200310070-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Barrett and colleagues (1) are to be lauded for their efforts to scientifically examine the commonly used phytomedicinal agent echinacea. However, while they have successfully debunked the advisability of use of oral unrefined echinacea, it is highly likely that the preparation used in their study was inadequate and the route of administration was suboptimal to appropriately test the efficacy of the herb in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. Although echinacea is a native American plant, the best research on it has been done in Germany, where in 1992 Commission E (the equivalent of an herbal ...References1. Barrett BP, Brown RL, Locken K, Maberry R, Bobula JA, D'Alessio D. Treatment of the common cold with unrefined echinacea. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:939-46. [PMID: 12484708] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Blumenthal M, Busse WR, Goldberg A, Gruenwald J, Hall T, Riggins CW, et al. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Klein S, tr. Austin, TX: American Botanical Council; 1998. Google Scholar3. Foster S, Tyler VE. 1998 A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs and Related Remedies. 4th ed. Haworth Herbal Pr New York. Google Scholar4. Hobbs H. The Echinacea Handbook. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications; 1989. Google Scholar5. Schulz V, Rudolf H, Tyler VE. 1998 A Physicians' Guide to Herbal Medicine. 3rd ed. Springer New York. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Montana Neurobehavioral Specialists; Missoula, MT 59802. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTreatment of the Common Cold with Unrefined Echinacea Bruce P. Barrett , Roger L. Brown , Kristin Locken , Rob Maberry , James A. Bobula , and Donn D'Alessio Echinacea for the Common Cold Seth G. Abrahams Echinacea for the Common Cold Wendy L. Applequist Echinacea for the Common Cold Steve Shober Echinacea for the Common Cold Paul Mittman , Debra Wollner , and Linda Kim Echinacea for the Common Cold Paul J. Millea Echinacea for the Common Cold Bruce Barrett Metrics Cited byAn Evidence-Based Systematic Review of Echinacea ( E. angustifolia DC, E. pallida, E. purpurea ) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration 7 October 2003Volume 139, Issue 7Page: 599KeywordsLymphoid tissueMouthNative American peopleProphylaxisRespiratory system proceduresRoutes of administrationSwallowingTasteUlcersUpper respiratory tract infections ePublished: 7 October 2003 Issue Published: 7 October 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...