A new study funded by the federal government shows that patients who take the herbal remedy Echinacea did not fare better than those who took placebos when it came to preventing or treating the common cold.
Echinacea is one of the most popular herbal treatments. It generates approximately $300 million in sales each year in the United States alone. It is available in pills, drops and lozenges and used to treat colds.
'Our study ... adds to the accumulating evidence that suggests that the burden of proof should lie with those who advocate this treatment,' wrote study leader Dr. Ronald Turner of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The results of the study were published in the most recent edition of 'The New England Journal of Medicine.'
The first study was conducted in 2003 and examined 407 children. Echinacea did not alleviate cold symptoms and even caused a mild rash in some children.
Another study examined 399 healthy college-aged people who were exposed to the virus that causes the common cold. Some received various forms of Echinacea while others received a placebo.
Approximately 90 percent of both groups got colds. The colds were of the same severity.
The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health.
