Echinacea: Cold-Season Cure or Risk?
When sneezing and a prickly throat signal an oncoming cold, many people reach for what they believe will be a safe preventative – a tea or capsule containing echinacea. In the first study to examine the effects of a botanical supplement on bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, research at the University of Arkansas suggests people may be risking some unwelcome side effects with this common herbal remedy.
Although various botanical extracts have been shown in the laboratory to have some antimicrobial effects, previous to this research there had been no published information about their effect in vivo – in the human gastrointestinal tract. Research conducted by Jerald C. Foote, assistant professor of food and human nutrition, and graduate student Laura Hill yielded some surprising results and pointed to the need for further research.
