Echinacea species (Echinacea angustifolia (DC.) Hell., Echinacea pallida (Nutt.) Nutt., Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench): a review of their chemistry, pharmacology and clinical properties

Abstract

This paper reviews the chemistry, pharmacology and clinical properties of Echinacea species used medicinally. The Echinacea species Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea pallida and Echinacea purpurea have a long history of medicinal use for a variety of conditions, particularly infections, and today echinacea products are among the best-selling herbal preparations in several developed countries. Modern interest in echinacea is focused on its immunomodulatory effects, particularly in the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. The chemistry of Echinacea species is well documented, and several groups of constituents, including alkamides and caffeic acid derivatives, are considered important for activity. There are, however, differences in the constituent profile of the three species. Commercial echinacea samples and marketed echinacea products may contain one or more of the three species, and analysis of samples of raw material and products has shown that some do not meet recognized standards for pharmaceutical quality. Evidence from preclinical studies supports some of the traditional and modern uses for echinacea, particularly the reputed immunostimulant (or immunomodulatory) properties. Several, but not all, clinical trials of echinacea preparations have reported effects superior to those of placebo in the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. However, evidence of efficacy is not definitive as studies have included different patient groups and tested various different preparations and dosage regimens of echinacea. On the basis of the available limited safety data, echinacea appears to be well tolerated. However, further investigation and surveillance are required to establish the safety profiles of different echinacea preparations. Safety issues include the possibility of allergic reactions, the use of echinacea by patients with autoimmune diseases and the potential for echinacea preparations to interact with conventional medicines.

Rabbit dietary supplementation with pale purple coneflower. 2. Effects on the performances, bacterial community, blood parameters and immunity of growing rabbits

“…Echinacea genus herbs are particularly well known as immunostimulant agents, and they mainly affect innate immunity (Barnes et al, 2005;Zhai et al, 2007). The purified glycoproteins (arabinogalactans, fructofuranosides and heteroxylans), as well as alkylamides, especially isobutylamides and ketones (only in EPAL), in Echinacea plants appear to play important roles on phagocytic stimulation (Classen et al, 2006;Kraus et al, 2007).…”

Alkamid database: Chemistry, occurrence and functionality of plant N-alkylamides

“…Due to these secondary metabolites, several plants have been used traditionally for organoleptic, as well as medical purposes, like toothache, gum, skin and gastric diseases, sexual dysfunctions and viral infections (Barnes et al, 2005;Boonen et al, 2010;Sharma et al, in press;Wang et al, 2007;Wu et al, 2004;Yang, 2008). These different uses reflect the wide variety of ethnopharmacological viewpoints: NAA containing plants are used in numerous Traditional medicine systems (TMS) all over the world.…”

The Inhibitory Effect of Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea pallida on BT-549 and Natural Killer Cells

“…Studies have determined that some of the other components of E purpurea include phenolic acids, butane, simple sugars, sterols and vanillin. 2 HPLC of the crude extracts of E purpurea could possibly indicate that the percentage of the unknown components in the crude extracts is greater than the percentage of the known components. This would support the results of the anti-tumor activity against BT-549 by the crude extracts in comparison to the anti-tumor activity of the water soluble extracts.…”