afc97589_Health_Information_Library__Why
[Used for] 2 Stars Common Cold 3 to 5 ml of liquid herbal extracts every two hours, or 300 to 600 mg of powdered herb three times daily, or five to six cups of tea daily [Why] 
At the first sign of a cold, taking immune-stimulating echinacea as a juice or tincture may make colds less severe. Double-blind trials have shown that various echinacea extracts shorten the duration of the common cold.1 , 2 Fresh pressed juice of echinacea (E. purpurea) flowers preserved with alcohol, and tinctures of echinacea (E. pallida) root are the forms most commonly studied and proven effective. In addition, several double-blind trials have found that echinacea (E. angustifolia) root tinctures in combination with wild indigo , boneset , and homeopathic arnica reduce symptoms of the common cold.3 In one double-blind trial, a proprietary formulation of echinacea, white cedar, and wild indigo, known as Esberitox, reduced the length and severity of cold symptoms significantly more than did placebo.4 One double-blind trial found that echinacea was inffective for treating colds that were induced in research subjects by instilling a cold virus (rhinovirus) directly into their noses.5 However, the relevance of this study to the treatment of naturally occurring colds is not clear. Another double-blind study found that echinacea was not an effective for upper respiratory tract infections in children aged 2 to 11 years.6 Echinacea is believed to work primarily through immune stimulation . The minimum effective amount of echinacea tincture or juice appears to be 3 ml three times per day. Higher amounts, such as 3 to 5 ml every two hours, is generally better and is safe, even for children.7 Encapsulated products may also be effective, according to a double-blind trial using the root of E. pallida. 8 Generally, capsules containing 300 to 600 mg are used three times per day. According to one double-blind trial, employees of a nursing home who consumed echinacea tea at the onset of a cold or flu reduced the duration of their symptoms by about two days when compared with people consuming a placebo tea.9 The participants drank five to six cups of tea on the first day of their symptoms and decreased this by one cup each day over the next five days. Most double-blind trials indicate that regular use of echinacea to prevent colds does not work.10 , 11 , 12 However, one double-blind trial showed that regular use of echinacea for four months over the winter decreased the number of colds by 21% compared with a placebo, a statistically significant difference. For the treatment of a cold, it is currently recommended to use echinacea for a total of seven to ten days.
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