Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Gay Men's Health Crisis: Treatment Issues, Volume 7 no. 11/12 - Winter, 1993/94
Bree Scott-Hartland
Test tube studies conducted in Germany showed that purified extracts from echinacea stimulate T-cells and macrophages1 and may have anti-viral properties.[2]
In a clinical trial in Germany, fifteen patients with colorectal cancer were injected with 60mg/square meter of body area of echinacin (a purified extract of Echinacea) and thymostimulin after initial treatment with cyclophosphamide, an immunosuppressive drug.[3] Tumor regression was noted in two patients after two months of therapy, and disease stabilized in six others. (This stabilization was possibly part of the natural course of the disease, however.) Echinacin was also reported to have stimulated macrophages to release chemical messengers such as TNF-a (Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha), IL-1 (Interleukin-1) and Interferon beta (IFN-b). This and other studies[4] also noted that echinacin may have helped increase the number of CD4 cells relative to CD8 cells within three days after cyclophosphamide treatment.
An additional study found that the administration of Echinacea extracts to people stimulated cell-mediated immunity after a single dose, but that repeated daily doses suppressed the immune response.[5]
Injections of purified Echinacea are believed to be relatively non-toxic, even at high doses[6], although there are reports of skin rashes and insomnia.[7]
Unfortunately, few clinical trials have been performed using either injected polysaccharides or oral, over-the-counter Echinacea supplements, which are the most common form of this remedy. Therefore, the effects and ideal dosing of this remedy are unknown.
1. Foster S. Echinacea: Nature's Immune Enhancer. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1990.
2. Wacker A, et al. Planta Medica, 33, 89-102, 1978.
3. Lersch C., et al. Cancer Investigation. 1992;10:343-48.
4. Wiseman C, et al. Proc. AACR. 1989; 30:412.
5. Coeugniet EG, Elek E. Onkologie. 1987;10(suppl.3):27.
6. Luettig B, et al. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1989;81:669.
7. Korsia, S. IHITTG. 1992; 7:3-4.
Copyright (c) 1993 - Gay Men's Health Crisis. All rights reserved. Noncommercial reproduction is encouraged.
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