Echinacea Helps With Anxiety and These 22 Other Issues

By Brandon Turbeville and Heather Callaghan

Most people associate the benefits of the flowery herb echinacea with boosting the immune system, due to its widespread media coverage and acceptance in both the medical and alternative health communities. As a result, most people simply associate echinacea with cold viruses and leave it at that. This is unfortunate because it means that people are walking past the powerful extent that echinacea reaches, as it is one of the most potent herbs of the world. Echinacea does so much more than help with colds!

Rest assured – the following are research-based demonstrations of echinacea’s benefits in lab settings, and not just anecdotal testimonials or website rehashings. Echinacea may help with more issues than are included below, but we’ve included only those claims that have studies. “The proof is in the pudding.”

Echinacea Helps With Anxiety and These 22 Other Issues

Anxiety – Echinacea is currently being recognized in health magazines for its effects on anxiety; however, more research is anticipated. In the meantime, researchers have revealed that echinacea does contain anti-anxiety properties.

Yeast Infections (Candida) – In vivo studies show that a form of echinacea has an immune stimulating property that can reduce Candida albicans related mortality in mice.

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Swine and Avian Flu – At least one study has shown has anti-viral properties against both avian and swine flu. The research suggest that this herb is more effective when it has direct contact with the virus prior to infection but that echinacea continues to act as an antiviral agent even after the person is infected. In addition, treating these flues with echinacea did not produce resistant viruses in contrast to Tamiflu which does produce Tamiflu-resistant strains. Even in the Tamiflu-resistant strains, however, the virus was just as susceptible to echinacea as the original, wild non-resistant virus.

Common Cold – Several studies have confirmed its benefits in regards to the common cold, including the fact that those treated with echinacea saw their symptoms alleviated more rapidly. Other studies suggested that echinacea enhances systemic immune response during a common cold.

Exercise Performance – Keeping with its track record of effects on the human immune system, research suggests that it is possible that echinacea helps off-set the effects on immune activity caused by exercise. 

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) – Echinacea reduces the latency rate in herpes – keeps it from going dormant so you can continue to treat it. A very good thing. According to some research, “EP (echinacea purpurea) was able to exert an anti-viral action on the development of recurrent HSV-1 disease when supplied prior to infection.”

Influenza – Echinacea has been shown to eliminate the symptoms and treat the pathology of certain influenza strains.

Leukopenia (low white blood cell count) – Research has revealed that echinacea induces an immune response by virtue of increasing white cell counts, improving erythrocyte anti-oxidant defenses and altered expression of leucocyte hsp70. The increase of white cell counts holds particular promise for individuals suffering from leukopenia as a result of chemotherapy.

Uveitis (eye inflammation) – Research has demonstrated with some confidence that echinacea is both safe and effective in controlling low-grade, autoimmune idiopathic uveitis.

Warts – One study published in 2011 has found that echinacea taken via the oral route is both safe and effective method of treating cutaneous warts as well as enhancing the response to conventional medical therapy.

Upper respiratory infection – Echinacea has also been demonstrated to help control symptoms associated with bacterial respiratory infections. Some studies have shown that a specific type of echinacea combined with thuja is safe and effective for treating upper respiratory infections. Echinacea alone and in combination with other supplements can prevent upper respiratory infections in children. 

Strep Infections – Much more research needs to be done in this regard but some research has suggested that echinacea may aid in the recovery from strep by virtue of its anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities.

Acute sore throat – While studying an echinacea/sage spray, and how it compared to conventional products, researchers found that the echinacea/sage combination (available here) was just as effective as its synthetic counterpart and was even recommended as an alternative to common synthetic products designed to treat acute sore throats.

Rattlesnake Bites – Different species of echinacea are used all across North America for treating snake bites. It has also long been known that Native Americans have used it in this regard.

Echinacea May Also Help With the Following

 

The following list includes ailments in which echinacea may be helpful; typically in combination with other compounds. Please bear in mind that the research for the efficacy on the following issues is scant – much more research is needed:

Gingivitis (source)

Human Papilloma Virus (source)

Middle Ear Infection (source)

Tonsillitis (source)

Urinary Tract Infections (source)

Eczema and Psoriasis (source)

Hay Fever (source)

Please note that there are many different forms of this herb grown in many parts of the country and the world. Make sure you do your own research and always, always check for side effects and contraindications. It should not be taken by those with autoimmune disorders and most importantly HIV/AIDS as echinacea is shown to worsen that condition.

Ask your preferred healthcare practitioner and always let them know if you are taking echinacea.

This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Image: NaturalBlaze, Pixabay

This article (Echinacea Helps With Anxiety and These 22 Other Issues) can be republished with attribution to authors and Natural Blaze.com, keeping all links and bio intact.

Heather Callaghan is an independent researcher, natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com. Like at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is an author out of Florence, South Carolina. He is the author of six books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies,Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria, and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 600 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s podcast Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.