A randomized, placebo-controlled study by a team of scientists led by Dr. B.P. Barrett of the University of Wisconsin (United States) has shown that Echinacea drugs are not effective in treating colds.

The study included 148 students with symptoms of recent acute respiratory infections (ARI), who were randomly assigned to two groups: the first received a mixture of untreated herb extracts and Echinacea purpurea root (Echinacea purpurea) and narrow-leaved Echinacea root (Echinacea angustifolia) in the ratio of 1: 1: 2 parts in the form of capsules 1 g 6 times a day on first day of treatment and 3 times a day the following days, and the second (control) - placebo according to the same scheme. The maximum duration of the course of therapy studied was 10 days. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated during the treatment by the researchers and the patients themselves by the severity and duration of the preservation of the symptoms of the disease.

Research results by Dr. B.P. Barrett and colleagues did not reveal statistically significant differences in the efficacy of echinacea and placebo for colds in all the parameters evaluated. The severity of symptoms of acute respiratory infections was almost identical and the disease was on average 6.01 days in both groups.

After correcting for group differences based on the initial severity and duration of symptoms of acute respiratory infections, gender, time of initiation of treatment with the study drug, and concomitant therapy used, there was no also no statistically significant sign of the effectiveness of echinacea preparations against colds.

The researchers note that their results do not support the hypothesis of the possible efficacy of echinacea drugs in the treatment of colds. At the same time, the scientists emphasize that the results of this study cannot be considered as definitive in the evaluation of the validity of the use of echinacea in acute respiratory infections. More research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these drugs in treating colds.

In an editorial commentary prepared by Dr. RB Turner, and featured in the December issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine Annals of Internal Medicine, which published the results of a study by Barrett et al., Stresses that “determining the effectiveness of echinacea drugs as a cold treatment remains one of the relevant areas of clinical research. "Dr. RB Turner notes that, although echinacea preparations are currently widely used in" alternative "medicine, the data are still insufficient and conform to modern standards of" evidence-based medicine "to recommend their use in medical practice" traditional. "