Echinacea is among the most popular immune-boosting herbs. Solid evidence reveals it can help prevent the common cold by strengthening the body\u2019s immune defense. But how much do we know about its potential effects on the new coronavirus? Read on as we dive deep into the latest science to figure out whether it\u2019s actually worth taking amid the current pandemic.<\/p>\n
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This article is for informational purposes only. The current coronavirus outbreak is an ongoing event and certain details may change as new information comes to light.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Echinacea<\/a> is among the most widely used herbal immune boosters in both North America and Europe. People traditionally use extracts from different echinacea species to help fight bacterial infections and the common cold [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n If echinacea helps us build immunity to viruses that cause the common cold, it must also do the same for the COVID-19-causing coronavirus — right? Not so fast.<\/p>\n The 2019 coronavirus is extremely recent, and we are still lacking robust studies specifically related to it. No effective or FDA-approved products are yet available to treat or prevent it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Thus, we\u2019re currently lacking evidence to claim that echinacea can directly prevent or treat the new coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV. In fact, no studies on echinacea and SARS-CoV-2 have been published so far.<\/p>\n Therefore, we can only look at studies that tested various echinacea preparations on genetically similar microorganisms, including other coronaviruses like SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.<\/p>\n Based on its immune effects, echinacea may<\/em> turn out to be a good general supportive and preventive measure for SARS-CoV-2, similar to how zinc<\/a> is used for SARS-CoV. If so, echinacea is more likely to play a larger role in prevention, but it\u2019s still too early to say. <\/strong><\/p>\n Remember, the best preventive measures you can take against SARS\u2010CoV-2 are those of standard care: social distancing, hand washing, and avoiding touching your face.<\/p>\n Before we jump to the effects of Echinacea on immunity and various viruses in detail, one preliminary report (so-called preprint<\/em>) still awaiting publication deserves special attention. Mainly, the authors of this study claimed that echinacea might be effective for preventing all coronaviruses, including the newly occurring SARS-CoV-2 [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The data brought up in the preliminary report should be taken with a grain of salt. Their findings remain inconclusive, unvalidated, and medically uncertain until it undergoes peer review.<\/p>\n This study, led by a team of Swiss scientists, investigated the effects of a standardized echinacea preparation called Echinaforce\u00ae against several coronaviruses in cells (HCoV-229E, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoVs).<\/p>\n Echinaforce irreversibly inactivated one virus strain called human coronavirus or HCoV-229E. This strain is typically associated with milder, cold-like symptoms. We can\u2019t claim Echinaforce will have the same effects on cells of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is behind the current epidemic.<\/p>\n In the same study, scientists also poured Echinaforce over most types of cells before exposure to HCoV-229E, but they didn\u2019t manage to prevent infection. The only exception were respiratory cells, which were protected against infection caused by droplets of HCoV-229E, a lab scenario imitating a natural infection. With more research, this might hold value for the new coronavirus that needs to enter lung cells to cause serious damage [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Lastly, high-dose post-infection treatment in the study only slightly reduced the spreading on the same virus. This suggests a potentially modest, if any, role of Echinacea once the virus has entered the body. Other studies we bring up further down in the post echo this finding.<\/p>\n Echinacea is perhaps best-known as a traditional remedy for the common cold.<\/p>\n Colds can be caused by many different viruses, including other types of coronaviruses. These are, however, not<\/em> the same as the 2019 coronavirus [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The data on echinacea and colds seem conflicting at first. For example, one meta-analysis concluded that echinacea products are ineffective at treating but may help prevent the common cold <\/strong>[R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Despite mixed findings, most evidence is on the side of echinacea.<\/p>\n Standardized echinacea extracts likely slightly reduce common cold symptoms<\/strong>. This was the case with colds caused by rhinovirus, which amount to 10%-40% of the cases [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Another study of 282 patients points out that echinacea should be taken at the first symptom of a cold [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n According to most studies, echinacea extracts also likely help prevent colds, shorten their duration by a day or two, and reduce painkiller use [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/span><\/p>\n Scientists believe that echinacea extracts may reduce cold symptoms by reducing inflammation and mucus in the airways. Airway inflammation–especially of cells that line tiny sacs in the lungs–is implicated in COVID-19, but echinacea has never been tested in COVID-19 patients [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Echinacea is believed to promote overall immune function<\/a> and reduce inflammation [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n In mice and rats, echinacea extract increased lymphocytes<\/a> and monocytes<\/a>, two types of white blood cells<\/a> involved in immune defense\u00a0[R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Recent studies suggest that people infected with the new coronavirus may have low lymphocytes<\/strong>. Low lymphocyte count has also been associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes [R<\/a>].<\/p>\nDoes Echinacea Have a Role Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Research Overview<\/span><\/h3>\n
The Latest Findings<\/span><\/h3>\n
Echinacea & SARS-CoV-2 Prevention: Useful or Not?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Prevention & Recovery from the Common Cold<\/span><\/h3>\n
Immune & Anti-Inflammatory Effects<\/span><\/h3>\n
The Battle of Interferons & Echinacea: Helpful or Harmful?<\/span><\/h2>\n