Echinacea

Herb

Echinacea species preparations marketed for common-cold prevention or treatment. A Cochrane review found products and trials too heterogeneous for broad conclusions, with no convincing treatment benefit established.

Pharmacokinetic model

A route-level PK model for echinacea is being prepared from published data. Dosing references, studies, and documented interactions are below; the app catalog is updated as models are validated.

Key facts

Category: Herb
Suggested cadence: once daily

Research behind this entry

Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold Karsch-Völk M, Barrett B, Kiefer D, Bauer R, Ardjomand-Woelkart K, Linde K · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014 DOI
Cochrane review found substantial differences among Echinacea species, plant parts, preparations, and trials. It did not show convincing treatment benefit, while possible preventive signals were small and inconsistent.
Safety and Efficacy Profile of Echinacea purpurea to Prevent Common Cold Episodes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Jawad M, Schoop R, Suter A, Klein P, Eccles R · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012 DOI
Long-term prevention trial tested one proprietary Echinacea purpurea extract. Product-specific findings and multiple outcomes should not be generalized to other species, plant parts, or formulations.

2 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.