Echinacea doesn't reduce cold by much

MADISON, Wis., Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Echinacea, the herb sold as capsules or tea in drug and retail stores, doesn't help decrease cold symptoms by much, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health say the dried echinacea root has been used in homemade remedies such as teas, dried herb and liquid extracts and is reputed to help relieve cold symptoms.

Lead researcher Bruce Barrett says the study involved 700 people -- ages 12-80 -- all with early symptoms of a cold. One group received no pills, a second group received what they knew was echinacea and a third group was given either echinacea or a placebo, but they did not know which.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found the patients receiving echinacea saw the duration of their cold reduced by 7 to 10 hours, or about 10 percent of the time of the cold symptoms -- not considered a significant decrease.

"Trends were in the direction of benefit, amounting to an average half-day reduction in the duration of a weeklong cold," Barrett says in a statement. "However, this dose regimen did not make a large impact on the course of the common cold, compared either to blinded placebo or to no pills. However, adults who found echinacea beneficial should not discontinue use based on the results of this trial, as there are no proven effective treatments and no side effects were seen."