Echinacea is one of the most commonly used herbal products for immune support. Multiple studies indicated it is effective for the common cold. The following meta-analysis was done by The Lancet To evaluate the effect of echinacea on the incidence and duration of the common cold.
14 unique studies were included in the meta-analysis. Weighted averages and mean differences were calculated, and publication bias was assessed. Echinacea decreased the odds of developing the common cold by 58% and the duration of a cold by 1.4 days.
The researchers concluded:
“Published evidence supports echinacea’s benefit in decreasing the incidence and duration of the common cold.”
