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Echinacea, an ordinary medicinal herb, becomes ' famous ' when a large-scale study shows that it is capable of reducing the risk of colds by 58%.

Conducted under the guidance of pharmacologist Craig Coleman of the University of Connecticut, this study is a meta-analysis of the results of 14 tests on Echinacea's antidepressant use.

Reduce the risk of colds, shorten the duration of illness

According to a new study, Echinacea may reduce the risk of colds by 58% and shorten the duration of illness.(Photo: Cabell Wayne Beekeepers Association)

According to research results published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on June 24, 2007, people who take Echinacea will have an average reduction of 58% of the risk of getting colds and the average duration of colds will be reduced by 1, 5 days compared to people who do not use this herb.

One of the 14 trials mentioned above used Echinacea with vitamin C, and as a result, the risk of colds decreased by 86%. In other tests, when Echinacea was used independently, that ratio was 65%.

Even for patients who have received the rhinovirus vaccine - the virus that most often causes colds - echinacea also reduces the risk by 35%.

In their report, the team wrote: 'Of the more than 200 viruses that are susceptible to colds, echinacea has only limited ability to deal with rhinovirus, but has a significant effect on all. virus left '.

Echinacea is a term used for nine daisy-like plants, native to North America. Echinacea is described as a cure for infectious, snakebite and rabies in the traditional medicine of Sioux Indians and other Plains Indians in this area. Three of the nine species mentioned above are used. widely are Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia and E. pallida.

The team reported that there are over 800 drugs containing echinacea, in the form of tablets, powder, juice, tea and medicinal alcohol. Many different parts of echinacea - like flowers, sprouts and roots - are also used to make other products.

The team believes that Echinacea works to boost the immune system's ability, but it is not known how Echinacea works for the immune system to fight colds. The three main components of Echinacea are alkamides, chicoric acid and polysaccharides, but experts do not know if they work independently or in combination, or with the support of other ingredients.

The team said they will continue to study the safety of this herb before it can be recommended as an official choice for the prevention or treatment of colds.

'A significant step forward in treating colds'

'For people with weakened immune functions, taking Echinacea during the winter months will help prevent colds and flu' -(Photo: AFP)

Professor Ronald Eccles, director of the Cardiff University's Common Sympathy Research Center, commented that this study is "a significant step forward in the prevention and treatment of common colds".

He said: 'By scientifically analyzing and evaluating previous clinical trials, this study has provided a solid foundation for exploiting the immune system's ability to prevent transmission of diseases. infection using herbs, like Echinacea " .

For this study, Professor Ron Cutler, of the University of East London, said: 'Echinacea has the ability to shorten the duration of disease and reduce the level of cough, soreness and nasal congestion.'

He said: 'For people with weakened immune functions, taking Echinacea during the winter months will help prevent colds and flu, but for healthy people it is not necessary to use Echinacea to prevent for a long time '.

However, according to him, 'the true benefits of Echinacea and its mechanism of action are still unknown. Therefore, larger and controlled clinical trials should be performed before Echinacea can become a cold-relief therapy.

Quang Thinh