Respiratory: Flu, coughs, sore throat. According to Lancet Infectious Diseases, Echinacea reduces the common cold by an average of 1.4 days and is reportedly preventive in that it

can cut the chance of catching a common cold by 58%. According to a WebMD article in Medscape, echinacea may be as effective at treating influenza as oseltamivir or Tamiflu (1). It is also used as a remedy to help ear infections and tonsillitis, acute sinusitis, asthma (bronchodilator), croup, and diphtheria. Root Approved by German Commission e for flu symptoms. Upper plant parts approved by German Commission E for colds, and chronic respiratory infections.

Eyes: Uveitis (NIH), eye inflammation

Gastrointestinal: Toothache; decreases stomach pain, mild natural laxative (acute and chronic diarrhea), gum disease

Genitourinary: Urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infections. Approved by German Commission e for lower UTI.

Musculoskeletal: Pain, rheumatoid arthritis

Neurologic: May help decrease headache pain

Skin: Cleans wounds, burns, insect bites/stings, snake bites, boils, eczema, psoriasis, skin infections; poorly healing wounds and ulcerations

Mental Health: Helps improve mental health, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and social phobias (up to 20 mg only. More than this apparently cancels beneficial effects on anxiety)

Immunity: Promotes immunity

Infectious Disease: Decreases herpes pain, symptoms of whooping cough, malaria, typhoid,

Decreases pain associated with gonorrhea, external vaginal infections (i.e., symptomatic tx of genital herpes); syphilis

                                                            *   *   *

SIDE EFFECTS: Fever, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, altered taste, abdominal pain, diarrhea, sore throat, dry mouth, headache, dizziness, allergic reactions (especially if allergic to ragweed), sore throat, worsening asthma, muscle and possibly joint pain, decreased blood sugar, fertility issues, inflammation (topical), fever, itching, insomnia, dry mouth

CAUTIONS/CONTRAINDICATIONS: Liver disease, immune deficiency, beclomethasone, taking astragalus or maitake mushrooms, TB, autoimmune disease

There are a lot of medications that can potentially interact with echinacea

FORMS: Tablets,  capsules, juice, tea; extracts and tinctures, pastes, medicated creams, oils (MUST BE DILUTED when taken by mouth and recommended when applied to the skin)

DOSAGES: As directed

Reported doses - often NOT supported by evidence (reported by various sources (WebMD, RxList, Epocrates, German Commission E, NIH publications and others). Read dosages and instructions carefully when available on the label.

• Anxiety:40 mg by mouth 1 to 2 times daiy

• Athletic performance: 2 grams by mouth 4 times daily

• Eczema: Apply to the affected area 2 to 3 times daiy

• Cold symptoms: 800 mg by mouth 3 times daily (may start with 800 mg by mouth 5 times daily). Start early

• Respiratoy infection: 16.8 gm lozenge daily

• Tonsillitis: 250/5 ml root suspension by mouth 3 times daily for 10 days or 1 spray to throat every 2 hours up to 10 sprays daily

*Disclaimer: The material above is for informational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure a condition. The uses listed above are tentative; some have or are undergoing research trials, but many are not FDA-approved. You must investigate these supplements further before deciding to use them. Check interactions and contraindications on sites like Drugs.com or WebMD. Do not attempt to treat a serious condition like liver, kidney problems, high blood pressure, heart, cancer, diabetes, or thyroid issues without discussing it with a healthcare provider first. If you are pregnant, do not use supplements without discussing it with your healthcare provider.