who here has ever taken echinacea for a cold?

[Reverend_Smitty]

I felt an ear infection coming on a few days ago so I started taking taking echinacea supplements and while I did experience some symptoms, they have been extremely mild compared to other times. Do you think this stuff really works or is the placebo effect a wonderful thing?

[no name no slogan]

1. I do

I'm taking it right now, as a matter of fact.

Zinc is also good, and can reduce the duration/severity of a cold. Also, there's a flower called "Golden Seal" that does a very good job of cleaning you out, too. It's usuall consumed in drops or steeped for tea.

This stuff really works. Would a stranger on the internet lie to you?

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. nah never!

lol :P I was just surprised by how mild my head cold has been. Usually I would just ride it out with 5 to 7 days of misery but not this one

[Kali]

3. Zinc works better

but aren't these kind of threads verboten now?

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. I wasn't asking for advice

I was just asking for shared experiences.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. I THINK I recently

read there wasn't any evidence for it. Maybe in Prevention...can't remember.

I know folks who swear by it.

[Reverend_Smitty]

7. Well if it is a case of mind over matter

I'm still better off because of it, this is the "best" cold I've had in a really long time...which is a good thing because I seem to get a few doozies every year being away at college

[TallahasseeGrannie]

10. College colds are the worst

so many different germs and you just aren't immune to them yet.

I'm a teacher and get sickest in Jan when the kids come back with germs from all over the country.

I can often head off a cold if I take tylenol, drink a lot of juice and go to bed really, really early. I've also learned that if I feel just kind of punky for a day or so I am probably getting a sinus infection and I have a standing antibiotic for that. It really helps.

[DemExpat]

6. Echinacea didn't seem to work well for me, but I found the herb

Astragalus which keeps me cold and flu free ever since I first started to take it 2 1/2 years ago. Before I would catch every bug around and my discomforts would drag on for weeks and weeks, all congestion going into my lungs becoming bronchitis.

This really has boosted my immunity.

Placebo effect is a wonderful thing regardless! :D

DemEx

[tjdee]

9. Ooh, what is this astralagus?

I have quite the cocktail of "never get sick" stuff going, but I've not heard of astralagus.

My kid has a tendency to send everything right into her chest too. I'm all about stopping that.

[DemExpat]

13. I use a good quality brand

Solgar and take 1 capsule a day.

:hi:

DemEx

[faithnotgreed]

12. yes - astragalus is a wonderful thing

echinacea is great too
quality is important but both can be very good to fight off a cold before it takes hold

[tjdee]

8. Echinacea is awesome. A law professor told me about it nigh on 10 years

back, I think, and I was young enough to think he was brilliant and knew everything. He was saying he hadn't gotten sick in years because of it. I wrote it down in my notes. "Echinaja". And then I forgot about it.

I use it now though, and I give echinacea tea sometimes to the kiddo, as well as Airborne (which has echinacea, goldenseal, some other stuff).

If I feel something coming on, I drown myself in echinacea, goldenseal, zinc, vitamin C, and water. Seems to help. :)
One of those things in there, LOL.

[pitohui]

11. it doesn't work

garlic works but not deodorized garlic, real garlic, so it is not practical if you must meet the public

i used to grow echinacea, so i'm sorry to say it's ineffective but it's pretty much a waste of money to take it for a cold

[IcyPeas]

14. many are allergic to echinacea so please beware...

plus, I tend to agree it's pretty useless......