The Common Cold & Echinacea
One of the best known herbs in the western world may be echinacea, also known as purple coneflower. Herbalists generally use the root of one of two varieties of this plant, either Echinacea purpurea or Echinacea angustifolia.
This perennial plant, native to the prairies of North America, was traditionally used to treat snakebite, fevers and chronic wounds. In the 19th century, the Eclectic physicians of North America used echinacea to treat colds (Ody, 1993). Potters Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs (1923) considers echinacea to be useful in diseases due to blood impurities e.g. boils, gangrene, and especially useful for typhoid and other fevers. By 1949, as in Slack’s Herbal, echinacea is used to treat bronchial catarrh.
More recently, echinacea has been recommended for preventing colds, as seen by the numerous over-the-counter echinacea remedies available in pharmacies, health food shops and supermarkets. Academic research into echinacea has produced mixed results. Some research suggests it does help prevent colds, whilst other scientific papers suggest that it does not. This has led to some degree of confusion!
Modern western herbalists consider that echinacea may be useful in the treatment of colds, as it may be immune modulating and anti-inflammatory (Bone, 2003 & 2007). But, to be effective in treating colds, it may need to be given in prescribed high doses in combination with other herbs such as:
- elderflower and/or elderberry (Sambucus nigra flos and Sambucus nigra fructus)
- peppermint (Mentha piperita)
- mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
- lime flower (Tilia europea)
- ginger (Zingiber officinalis)
- eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) or
- yarrow (Achillea millefolium).
It is not recommended that anyone takes high doses of echinacea without first consulting a qualified medical herbalist registered with the National Insitute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH).
If you are concerned about preventing colds or consider yourself to have a low immunity to colds and upper respiratory infections, a visit to a medical herbalist could provide you with a tailored prescription, a health management plan and dietary advice. A visit could also consider other possible causes for your low immunity, such as other medical issues, stress, diet, lifestyle, etc.
A possible cold preventative is elder berry which can be taken either as a syrup or cordial, or as “Sambucol”® , an elderberry extract. Clinical research seems to prove the effectiveness of elderberry as shown at http://www.blackelderberry.info/
Elder berry (Sambucus nigra fructus)
Mild colds may be best approached with hot drinks of herbal teas such as peppermint (providing you do not suffer from peptic ulcers or digestive reflux), hot diluted elderberry syrup, hot diluted elderflower cordial, or hot lemon with honey. Facial steamers, hot showers or a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head, may help relieve nasal congestion.
This information is not intended for pregnant women, babies, very young children, people suffering from a serious medical condition or people taking prescribed drugs.
If you are concerned about your or someone else’s cold symptoms, please contact your local GP, NHS 24 in Scotland on 08454 242424 or a local medical herbalist registered with NIMH (National Institute of Medical Herbalists).
References & Bibliography
Bone, K (2003) A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs, Churchill Livingstone
Bone, K (2007) The Ultimate Herbal Compendium, Phytotherapy Press
Ody, P (1993) The Herb Society’s Complete Medicinal Herbal, Dorling Kindersley
Slack, G (1949) Slack’s Herbal, Potter & Clarke Ltd
Wren, RC (1923) Potter’s Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, Potter & Clarke Ltd
