Subject: Echinacea - one more question

From: [email-masked] (PMahoney)
Date: 12 Jan 1995 15:11:27 GMT

I can't recall where I read this, but for some reason I've believed that
one should only take echinacea for 3-4 days at a time, or as long as one's
illness prevails, but certainly one should stop when the symptoms of
illness (cold, whatever) are gone.  

However, a friend of mine said (with what seemed to be much authority) that
one MUST take it for at least 7-10 days, the same as one takes an
antibiotic.  Her reasoning was that if one takes it for a couple of days
and quits, then the virus one is fighting is not totally killed and has a
chance to mutate and become stronger.

This has never been my experience.  I usually take it at the beginning of a
cold or illness and stop taking it within 2-3 days. Am I doing myself
potentially more harm than good?

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From: [email-masked] (Hilda Marshall)
Date: 12 Jan 1995 17:35:24 GMT

>chance to mutate and become stronger.

That's the case with antibiotics, because mutant versions of the
disease organism CAN arise that are resistant to that particular
antibiotic.  But if echinacea is an immunostimulant, what's getting
rid of the infection is your body's own macrophages, not something
>from  outside your body, so I can see that the rules might be
different.

Love, Hilda

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From: [email-masked] (Cheryl)
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 1995 22:16:12 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
>from outside your body, so I can see that the rules might be

Hilda's right; I've used echinacea for much shorter periods than 
commercial antibiotics and it's worked very quickly.  I've had painful 
urinary tract infections where I've been peeing blood, and used echinacea 
tea to clear it up completely in just one or two days, with no further 
symptoms, whereas a course of prescription antibiotics would have taken 7 
days to complete their course.  It's one of the reasons I always have 
echinacea around; if I come down with something like that in the middle 
of the night, I want to be able to treat it immediately, without having 
to wait till morning, an appointment, getting a prescription, etc. while 
the pain and infection just gets worse.  

People posted information about how echinacea actually works to rid the 
body of bacterial and viral infections a year or so ago -- I've got the 
info on my computer somewhere; should I find it and post it here?

                                                -- Cheryl

P.S. The "recipe" I've used that has always worked for me is to add 4 tsp.
echinacea root to 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, simmer for 30 minutes,
strain out the root, and then drink a quart (sometimes I drink more) a day
till the illness is gone.  I usually drink it for a little longer after
the symptoms have disappeared -- maybe a day longer.  This has been 
reliable for me in all cases, whereas those tinctures and drops and 
capsules you can buy have been either not effective or only a little 
effective.  The tea has been much stronger and reliable.  When I'm peeing 
blood or I have a painful earache, I want *immediate*, *sure-fire* 
relief! :)

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From: [email-masked] (PMahoney)
Date: 15 Jan 1995 02:33:11 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Cheryl) wrote:

> info on my computer somewhere; should I find it and post it here?
Cheryl - 
Yes, please do post.  I would like to know more about it. I thought I read
in a herb book something about it strengthening the cell membrane's ability
to repel an attacking virus.  Anyway, please do post.  Thanks.

Pate'

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From: [email-masked] (Paul R. Potts)
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 12:34:37 -0500

> info on my computer somewhere; should I find it and post it here?

If not too difficult to find, please! I'd be very intersted.
-Paul-