#Echinacea #immune #system
Why is it worth using natural ways to stimulate the immune system in the fall and winter?
We know that pharmaceuticals can often cause side effects and are very unidirectional in their action. Vaccines are only for a specific disease and are targeted at one specific strain, e.g. a selected type of influenza virus. Not necessarily the one that prevails in our region, city, work, school or kindergarten. There is also a small chance that among so many viruses that cause, for example, diarrhea (I mainly mean rotaviruses and popular vaccinations against them), we will get the one against which we vaccinated our child. It is worth knowing that basic medicines administered during a cold or flu, including all pharmaceuticals, are used only to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, e.g. temperature lowering agents or tablets for a sore throat or headache. They are not intended to protect against or fight the virus. It is also important that stronger syrups for diluting secretions in the respiratory tract or stopping persistent cough are not neutral to our health or nervous system. Many side effects are listed in the leaflet of a given drug and are not a secret, although few of us pay attention to them. In this light, it seems logical that during the season of decreased immunity or changes in our environment where we come into contact with new people (such as a nursery, kindergarten, school or hospital), we need an efficiently functioning immune system. One who will be able to mobilize quickly in times of danger so as not to cause the disease to develop. It is better to effectively repel an attack and always have the body’s defense ready than to suffer a tiring illness and have to “clean up” for a long time after the effects of an infection, which may result in complications such as a long-lasting cough or bacterial infection.
Resilience – can something be done about it?
It’s good to know that our immune system can be stimulated earlier to stimulate our body’s innate immunity. This is very beneficial, especially before the period of common flu or cold illnesses. There is no doubt that for centuries, humanity has been using the innate immune system, as it is the main and dominant system that defends its host, i.e. us. In fact, our ability to overcome any disease depends on its fitness. Because the immune system works on several levels, microorganisms must first successfully cross or penetrate an external barrier: mechanical (e.g. skin); chemical (e.g. antibacterial peptides such as ß-defensins secreted by the skin or respiratory tract); or biological (such as bacteria in the digestive tract or urogenital tract). When this happens, the so-called non-specific response. Its speed depends on the person’s innate immune system. Only when the pathogens have avoided this response does the adaptive immune system, i.e. the specific response, come into action.
How to induce a non-specific (innate) response of the immune system?
The recipe can be found in food, and more specifically in herbs. Natural plants that have been used for generations to prevent and treat colds and flu include various species of echinacea (Echinacea), black elderberry (Sambucus nigra – which is the main ingredient of SambuRex), garlic (Garlic), ginseng (Panax), cat’s claw (vilcacora, Uncaria tomentosa), astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) and olive leaf extract European (oleuropein from olive leaves). It is also worth mentioning that a plant called Pau D’Arco is very famous for its immunomodulating properties (the infusion is prepared from the inner bark of the Tabebuia impetiginosa tree and many other species of trees from the Tabebuja genus). Today, however, we are most interested in echinacea and its impact on the human immune system. Below is the information available and collected by me, which comes from scientific and popular science literature.
What do we know about echinacea?
Various species of Echinacea, due to their extremely valuable medicinal properties, have long been and still are the most valued plants by subsequent generations of traditional herbalists. Of the 9 known species, three are particularly popular: purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), narrow-leaved coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) and pale coneflower (Echinacea pallida). In the past, Native Americans greatly appreciated the healing effects of echinacea and used it to relieve toothaches, coughs, sore throats and stomachaches, as well as to treat infections, fight fevers, and to treat wounds and snake bites. Nowadays, Echinacea is undoubtedly the most popular herbal preparation used in the prevention and treatment of colds and flu, as well as to strengthen the immune system. Until the 1950s, Echinacea was sold in American pharmacies (this was before the popularity of antibiotics). It is interesting that echinacea contains many compounds, but all the active ingredients are still unknown, and the plant itself enjoys great interest in the scientific world due to its beneficial effect on the immune system.
The multifaceted effect of echinacea on the immune system from a scientific point of view
According to numerous studies, various Echinacea species have immunostimulating properties. Both purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and echinacea angustifolia (Echinacea angustifolia) can activate the innate immune response of the cellular and humoral type as well as the complement system (it plays an important role in the innate, humoral mechanisms of the non-specific immune response). In vitro studies have shown that polysaccharides from E. purpurea positively stimulate phagocytes (cells that devour invaders) and the release of interleukin-1 (IL-1), which is crucial in many inflammatory processes. Multiple studies have also observed that arabinogalactans derived from E. purpurea induce dose-dependent release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) from peritoneal macrophages. In other experiments, glycoproteins, known as arabinogalactan-rich proteins isolated from E. pallida, have a pronounced immunomodulatory effect by stimulating the production of antibodies (igM) and, through division, the creation of new lymphocytes in the immune system.
So far, many biologically active compounds have been isolated from echinacea, including: have an immunostimulating effectbut also demonstrating antiseptic effect and anti-inflammatory. The most important of them are: alkamides, polysaccharides (arabinoramnogalactan, heteroxylans), derivatives of caffeic and quinic acid (chicoryic acid), phenolic glycosides (echinacoside) and flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, rutoside).
Selected compounds contained in echinacea have the following effects:
- hydrophilic extracts – stimulate phagocytosis (devouring foreign bodies by immune system cells), increase the secretion of TNF-α, IFN-ß and oxygen radicals,
- alkamides (e.g. isobutylamide) – they participate in the stimulation of phagocytosis and inhibition of cyclooxygenase, which reduces inflammatory reactions such as when using e.g. aspirin,
- heteroglycans – activate macrophages in mice, rats and humans (e.g. enhancing cytotoxicity against cancer cells and Candida albicans, Leishmania (leishmaniasis), Listeria monocytogenes (bacteria – listerosis),
- caffeic acid and echinacosides – they scavenge free radicals, protect cell membranes against oxidation and therefore cell aging.
- quercetin – has broad antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. As an antioxidant, it slows down cellular aging. It also inhibits uncontrolled cell division
It is also known that echinacea preparations have antifungal properties, antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Polysaccharides and isobutylamides are responsible for the strongest immunostimulating effect. They activate the cells of our immune system by increasing the number of leukocytes and intensifying the devouring of invaders by macrophages and granulocytes. These compounds are also responsible for inhibiting the formation of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which are mediators of inflammation, and inducing pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. However, in studies where the alcohol extract from echinacea was tested, it was described that lipophilic amides, alkamides and caffeic acid derivatives influence the immune system by stimulating the phagocytosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils.
Testing the strength of the immune response after using echinacea
To check the positive effect of echinacea on immunity, a randomized, double-blind study was conducted, controlled with a placebo. This means that none of the subjects (or the investigators) knew who was given a placebo and who was given the echinacea preparation. The duration of the experiment was four weeks, during which the immunological activity of various Echinacea preparations and larch arabinogalactan was determined in comparison to placebo. It turned out that there was a significant (nearly ¼) increase in properdin (a protein in the serum used as a marker to assess the immune response) compared to people receiving a blank test, and by almost 20% percent when taking the combination of E. purpurea, E. angustifolia and arabinogalactan from larch. In the case of subjects taking a blind trial (placebo), no increase was noticed. Experience has shown that a mixture of purple coneflower and echinacea angustifolia increases the strength of the immune response by 21 percent compared to the control!
Further clinical trials on patients
In the case of clinical trials that examined the effect of Echinacea on the reduction and duration of symptoms associated with colds, flu and other acute respiratory infections, it turned out that the results confirmed the positive effects of echinacea. In the first study, cold patients who took the echinacea preparation rated their symptoms on a 10-point scale (0 = minimal; 9 = maximum) 23.1 percent lower compared to the placebo group, i.e. they felt better than other patients. In a second very similar study, which included 150 adult patients, researchers observed a reduction in the severity of symptoms and an increase in the number of all white blood cells of the immune system: monocytes, neutrophils and natural killer cells in the group taking Echinacea compared to placebo. However, other studies examined the effect of echinacea on the duration of the disease. For this purpose, a double-blind study was conducted in which 80 randomly divided adult participants were given E. purpurea herbal extract or placebo from the onset of cold symptoms until their disappearance. It turned out that in the Echinacea group the average duration of the disease was shorter and was 6 days compared to 9 days in the placebo group.
Is it worth using preparations containing echinacea?
Definitely yes. They have been used for a very long time, when our conventional medicine did not exist, which suggests that they have been proven by many millions of people. Today’s scientific research provides ample evidence of its stimulating effect on the immune system and shortening the duration of the disease. It seems that it is justified to use echinacea preparations prophylactically and therapeutically, especially in colds and flu. It is known from scientific literature that these are safe herbal medicines and rarely cause allergic reactions. It is recommended to take Echinacea preparations for no longer than 6 weeks (contraindications include tuberculosis and multiple sclerosis). Interestingly, echinacea products are currently very popular in the USA and Canada, and in Europe, especially in Germany.
