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Article: Echinacea purpurea and Treatment of the Common Cold.
- Article from:
- The Pharmacist's Dietary Supplement Alert
- Article date:
- March 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 AHC Media LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Echinacea purpurea and Treatment of the Common Cold
By Ginger Ertel and Cydney E. McQueen, PharmD
Forty percent of time lost from work each year can be attributed to the common cold..sup.1 More than 600 million cases are reported annually, with the average person experiencing 2.4 colds per year. Currently, no FDA-approved antiviral treatment exists for the common cold and treatment is symptomatic only: decongestants, expectorants, antitussives, antipyretics, and analgesics. Patients are eager to try other options including echinacea, which is promoted as boosting the bodys immune system to help fight bacterial and viral infections. In the United States ...