Alcohol tinctures prepared from aged Echinacea roots are typically taken for preventing or treating upper respiratory infections, as they are purported to stimulate immunity in this context. The effects of long-term (> 1 year) dry storage on the capabilities of Echinacea spp. roots from mature individuals to modulate cytokine production are unknown. Using an older human adult model of influenza...

Echinacea has gained considerable attention because of its increasing economic value and use as a medicinal plant. The genus Echinacea, Asteraceae, is represented by eleven taxa found in the United States and in south central Canada. Echinacea purpurea is the most widespread species (McGregor 1968) and the most widely cultivated medicinal species of the genus (McKeown 1999). Echinacea species h...

INTRODUCTION During the 1990s, the popularity of the genus Echinacea Moench (Asteraceae) as a dietary supplement in the United States increased markedly, as the general public learned of its possible efficacy in fighting colds and other illnesses (Bauer and Wagner 1991; Li 1998). Plant and medical scientists responded to this phenomenon by increasing their efforts to understand the biology, cul...

Alkamides are the major lipophilic constituents of ECHINACEA preparations, which are widely used in some European countries and in North America for common colds. In earlier investigations they have been shown to possess stimulatory effects on phagocytosis. Recent experiments have demonstrated that alkamides are detectable in human blood in relevant concentrations after oral administration of E...

Results: Of the 719 patients enrolled, 713 completed the protocol. Mean age was 33.7 years, 64% were female, and 88% were white. Mean global severity was 236 and 258 for the blinded and unblinded echinacea groups, respectively; 264 for the blinded placebo group; and 286 for the no-pill group. A comparison of the 2 blinded groups showed a 28-point trend (95% CI, 69 to 13 points) toward benefit f...

The medicinal plant Echinacea is widely used to treat upper respiratory infections and is reported to stimulate the human immune system. A major constituent class of Echinacea, the alkylamides, has immunomodulatory effects. Recent studies show that alkylamides are oxidized by cytochrome P450 enzymes, but the immunomodulatory activity of these products is unknown. The objectives of this study we...

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of 18S–26S nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was sequenced in 65 taxa representing most coneflowers (i.e., species in Dracopis, Echinacea, Ratibida, and Rudbeckia) and other taxa representing 21 outgroup genera of tribe Heliantheae. Results of parsimony analysis of the rDNA dataset by itself and in combination with the cpDNA dataset uphold the hypothesis ...

BACKGROUND Extracts and products (roots and/or aerial parts) from Echinacea ssp. represent a profitable market sector for herbal medicines thanks to different functional features. Alkamides and polyacetylenes, phenols like caffeic acid and its derivatives, polysaccharides and glycoproteins are the main bioactive compounds of Echinacea spp. This study aimed at investigating the capacity of selec...

Echinacea species are popularly included in various formulations to treat upper respiratory tract infections. These products are of commercial importance, with a collective sales figure of $132 million in 2009. Due to their close taxonomic alliance it is difficult to distinguish between the three Echinacea species and incidences of incorrectly labeled commercial products have been reported. The...

Echinacea purpurea, commonly referred to as the purple coneflower, is native to the United States and was first discovered by Native American Indians as a medicinal herb. Liquid extracts of Echinacea purpurea were evaluated for the capacity to stimulate total immunoglobulin immune responses in male CD1 (Charles River Laboratory) mice infected with an antigen of SRBC (sheep red blood cells). A c...