The News
Echinacea Halves Chances of Getting Cold, Review Finds
By Frances Schwartzkopff
June 25 (Bloomberg) -- Echinacea, the North American flower widely used to protect against colds, actually works - and works well - a scientific review found.
The plant, also known as the purple cornflower, reduced the chances of getting a cold by nearly two-thirds compared with a placebo, according to the review, which independently analyzed the results of 14 clinical studies. Echinacea also cut a cold's duration by as many as four days, according to the review, published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
``Echinacea is one of the most commonly used herbal products, but controversy exists about its benefit in the prevention and treatment of the common cold,'' lead author Sachin A. Shah, of the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, wrote. The review found ``echinacea decreased the odds of developing the common cold by 58 percent.''

The Research
Read the research behind this story in The Lancet: Infectious Diseases.