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Editorials |17 December 2002

Echinacea for the Common Cold: Can Alternative Medicine Be Evidence-Based Medicine?

Ronald B. Turner, MD

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Author, Article, and Disclosure Information
Current Author Address: Ronald B. Turner, MD, University of Virginia School of Medicine, PO Box 800386, Charlottesville, VA 22908.
  • University of Virginia School of Medicine Charlottesville, VA 22908
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Current Author Address: Ronald B. Turner, MD, University of Virginia School of Medicine, PO Box 800386, Charlottesville, VA 22908.
Echinacea, a plant indigenous to the midwestern United States, was first used for medicinal purposes by Native Americans. By the end of the 19th century, echinacea was employed as a treatment for a variety of ailments, including the common cold. During the 20th century, U.S. interest in echinacea waned, but this remedy became popular in Europe, especially Germany. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 removed much of the regulatory oversight from the marketing and sale of herbal remedies and has resulted in renewed interest in echinacea as a common cold treatment in the United States. Despite the long history and current popularity of echinacea as a common cold remedy, the scientific evidence of its efficacy is unconvincing. Studies of various echinacea preparations have reported beneficial effects on the common cold, but methodologic flaws have limited acceptance of these results (1).
The study by Barrett and colleagues in this issue (2) is a valuable contribution to the literature on echinacea because it addresses many of the shortcomings of earlier studies. Barrett and colleagues assessed the effect of echinacea on the severity and duration of common cold symptoms in a sample of young adults with naturally acquired colds. No effect of echinacea was demonstrated on the overall course and severity of colds or on the severity of individual symptoms. The study had sufficient power to detect a 22% reduction...
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Turner RB. Echinacea for the Common Cold: Can Alternative Medicine Be Evidence-Based Medicine?. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:1001–1002. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-12-200212170-00015

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Published: Ann Intern Med. 2002;137(12):1001-1002.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-137-12-200212170-00015

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