Echinacea Study Flawed

According to the recent study, echinacea was reported to be an ineffective preventative and treatment for the common cold. This study is in contradiction to a large body of research that has found echinacea to be an effective defense against colds and flus.

Yet, on the day this study was released, CNN reported on their website CNN.com "No Comfort For Colds" as their headline, leading off their article with, "Treatments that don't work made medical news this week." CBS News reported, "Study Debunks Echinacea's Powers," and NBC's Bob Faw stated that the study concludes, "When it comes to fighting the common cold, you're better off slurping chicken soup."

Dr. Cynthia Foster, author, lecturer, university instructor, and holistic medical consultant, found that proper research procedures were ignored in this study and reveals financial ties to makers of over the counter cold and flu medicines, antibiotics, facial tissues and antibacterial soaps, all of whom are biased against echinacea.

Dr. Foster states, "The extracts used in this study were of a weaker strength than what is typical for over the counter Echinacea products. The preparations were made from the dried root, which is considered a poor quality source of herbal materials according to leading herbalists who recommend the fresh root. The low potency of the dried preparation and the extraction techniques they used are also in question. According to the published article in NEJM, not a single one of the 3 types of extracts contains all of the known active components of echinacea angustifolia in the proper proportion in order to be considered a quality extract.

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