Echinacea in Health: Risks and Benefits

Abstract

Echinacea appears able to modulate the immune system through the cannabinoid receptor number 2 and the inflammatory pathways. This is still not definitively proven due to the myriad of preparations used in clinical trials and experimental models and the lack of data concerning their phytochemical composition. Of the different phytochemicals present in traditional, ethanolic root preparations of echinacea, alkylamides have been shown to be both bioavailable and bioactive and are able to ameliorate the effects of induced immune responses in different populations of immune cells. Further research is necessary to understand the full extent and nature of the influence of these key echinacea phytochemicals on the immune response. Such an understanding will better inform the clinical use of this popular herb.