If you want to take echinacea for colds and flu, you need to take the right kind. The tablets and capsules will do you absolutely no good. You should take Echinacea in alcohol extract only.
When studies are done on echinacea, they use tablets. The studies are doomed to fail.
In fact, echinacea is an American herb and was used by the American Indians for all kinds of ailments.
When I feel a cold or flu coming on, I use Nature’s Way Echinaguard, 2 heaping tablespoons or more every two hours. I have found that if I do not dose strongly and often, it is not fast enough. If you wait too long with the cold or flu in your system, the echinacea might not be effective. You need to catch it in the early stages, or use other herbs.
Echinacea works by boosting your immune system to help it fight off the virus. If you wait a few days into the problem, you need herbs that kill viruses and bacteria directly. Herbs such as goldenseal and oregano are just two herbs that are used by herbalists for this.
Every season the media trots out examples of studies telling people how echinacea doesn’t work. Don’t believe it. Consult an herbalist for the best advice. Address your cold/flu in the early stages and it can often be knocked out easily. I usually am able to get rid of it in a day when I take Echinaguard extract.
Echinaguard is even carried by Amazon. It is often not easy to find in herb stores. I have not had success with other brands like I have with Echinaguard.
Please consult your health care provider when you have a cold/flu. The virus, if not caught quickly, can make you develop bacteria in your lungs. This is what can cause bronchitis or pneumonia.