In this study, it was aimed to determine the effects of ginseng and echinacea on plasma levels of IL-10, TGF-β1, TNF-α in healthy rats. In this research, 48 male Fischer 344 rats were divided into three equal groups as Control (K), Ginseng (G) and Echinacea (E). The control group were fed the standart rat diet (Purina®) as ad libitum for 40 days, whereas G and E groups animals received the same...

PURPOSE Echinacea is an herbal supplement used by endurance athletes for its performance boosting properties. It is thought that Echinacea improves the blood's oxygen carrying capacity by increasing production of erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein that regulates red blood cell formation. Subsequently, these changes would lead to an overall improvement in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and run...

Numerous Echinacea preparations are available on the market for the prevention and treatment of cold and ’flu symptoms and inflammatory conditions associated with infections. Most of these preparations are consumed orally in the form of aqueous or ethanol extracts and tinctures. Since the recommended consumption normally involves a brief local exposure to the diluted preparation at an unspecifi...

The genus Echinacea, Asteraceae, is comprised of nine species, which are perennial herbs indigenous to North America and which have been traditionally used as medicinal plants for centuries. Three Echinacea species, E. angustifolia DC var. angustifolia, E. purpurea (L.) Moench, and E. pallida (Nutt.) Nutt., are currently being traded internationally in the natural products market. Echinacea pro...

The therapeutic use of medicinal plants such as Echinacea, ginseng and St. John’s wort has gained widespread acceptance in North America in the last two decades. Aeroponic cultivation of medicinal plants have shown great potential for producing root yields that are cleaner, more uniform and faster maturing than can be obtained using conventional soil-based methods. Two pilot-scale commercial A-...

Americans spend between $3.5 and $5 billion annually on herbal treatments, and nearly 50 million individuals currently report use of botanical supplements. With so many herbal products on the market, it is imperative that physicians thoroughly question patients with regard to supplement use. Physicians must understand the benefits and risks associated with medicinal herbs and counsel patients a...

PURPOSE We wanted to determine whether the severity and duration of illness caused by the common cold are influenced by randomized assignment to open-label pills, compared with conventional double-blind allocation to active and placebo pills, compared with no pills at all. METHODS We undertook a randomized controlled trial among a population with new-onset common cold. Study participants were...

BACKGROUND Nitrites are mainly used in food preservation. These materials could change to nitrosamine due to the effect of heat and gastric acid. Nitrosamine is absorbed in intestine and enters the liver and hepatocytes by portal venous system, and hampers the detoxification system of liver by interfering in cytochrome P450 enzymes, so, the liver gently proceeds to cirrhosis and cancer. OBJEC...

Objective. To identify whether a standardised Echinacea formulation is effective in the prevention of respiratory and other symptoms associated with long-haul flights. Methods. 175 adults participated in a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial travelling back from Australia to America, Europe, or Africa for a period of 1-5 weeks on commercial flights via economy class. Participants ...