Echinacea

Echinacea

Theresa L. Charrois, BScPharm, MSc(a), Jessica Hrudey(a)
Sunita Vohra, MD, MSc(a,b)

a) On behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics Provisional Section on Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine
b) Complementary and Alternative Research and Education (CARE) Program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Pediatrics in Review. 2006;27:385-387.

Introduction. Echinacea has been used for centuries in North American traditional medicine for a variety of conditions and currently is used primarily for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Research results on its efficacy for these indications have been mixed, but few adverse effects have been noted, with the exception of some allergies and rashes.
Definition and Description. Echinacea, also known as purple coneflower, is native to North America. The three species used medicinally most often are E angustifolia, E pallida, and E purpurea. Most clinical studies have focused on E purpurea. (1) The properties of commercially available products differ regarding species used, plant part used, extraction method, and whether other plant extracts are included.
Evidence of Efficacy in Pediatrics. Few systematic reviews have summarized the efficacy of echinacea for the treatment and prevention of URTIs. Other reviews have concluded that there may be efficacy in the treatment but not necessarily in the prevention of URTIs in adults. (2)(3)(4) Because these reviews were not conducted systematically with explicit methods, the results and conclusions are subject to bias.
A recent updated Cochrane systematic review includes results from trials that involved both adults and children for the use of echinacea in the treatment or prevention of the common cold. (5)
The results can be summarized as follows:
Prevention trials with placebo comparison: no difference between groups
Treatment trials with no treatment comparison: one study had a trend in favor of echinacea; one study had no difference.

American Academy of Pediatrics.