Echinacea
Herb ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Popular immune-stimulating herb used at the onset of colds.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Echinacea is a herb most often used for immune stimulation, cold/flu duration reduction, upper respiratory support. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate. A typical adult dose is 300-500 mg 3x daily (at onset of illness), commonly taken as echinacea purpurea aerial parts extract. This profile indexes 17 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating moderate. Most-documented uses: immune stimulation, cold/flu duration reduction, upper respiratory support. 17 sources indexed (2003–2025), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Alkamides and polysaccharides activate macrophages, NK cells, and increase phagocytosis. Modulates TNF-alpha and interleukin production.9
Dosing & protocol.
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Echinacea Purpurea Extract.
Assumes 300-500 mg 3 times daily at onset of illness. Vendor basis: NOW/iHerb, Vitacost, Life Extension, and Amazon marketplace; liquid extracts cost more per day. Updated 2026-05-28.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
This is an herbal preparation rather than a food-equivalent nutrient.
Full safety detail.
Side effects
- Allergic reactions (ragweed family)
- GI upset
- Dizziness
Contraindications
- Autoimmune diseases
- Immunosuppressant drugs
- Ragweed allergy
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews
7- 1Efficacy and safety of Echinacea purpurea in treating upper respiratory infections and complications of otitis media in children: Systematic review and meta-analysisPMIDPham TP, Vu TM, Doan PM et al. · Clinical Nutrition ESPEN · 2025
Echinacea purpurea was effective and safe for treating upper respiratory infections in children, reducing symptom severity and duration with a favorable safety profile.
- 2Echinacea Reduces Antibiotics by Preventing Respiratory Infections: A Meta-Analysis (ERA-PRIMA)PMIDGancitano G, Mucci N, Stange R et al. · Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
Gancitano G, Mucci N, Stange R et al.. Echinacea Reduces Antibiotics by Preventing Respiratory Infections: A Meta-Analysis (ERA-PRIMA). Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland). 2024
- 3Echinacea Supplementation Does Not Impact Aerobic Capacity and Erythropoiesis in Athletes: A Meta-AnalysisPMIDDeccy S, Bartkowiak C, Rodricks N et al. · Nutrients · 2024
Deccy S, Bartkowiak C, Rodricks N et al.. Echinacea Supplementation Does Not Impact Aerobic Capacity and Erythropoiesis in Athletes: A Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2024
- 4Echinacea for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysisPMIDDavid S, Cunningham R · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · 2019
Echinacea extracts significantly reduced the risk of developing upper respiratory tract infections and decreased symptom duration when used for both prevention and treatment.
- 5Echinacea for preventing and treating the common coldPMIDKarsch-Volk M et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2014
Echinacea purpurea is the most consistently useful variety, effective in 5 of 6 treatment trials; moderate evidence supports its use for treatment of URI.
- 6Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysisPMIDShah SA et al. · The Lancet Infectious Diseases · 2007
Echinacea decreased the odds of developing the common cold by 58% (OR 0.42) and reduced cold duration by 1.4 days across 14 unique studies.
- 7Echinacea in the prevention of induced rhinovirus colds: a meta-analysisPMIDSchoop R, Klein P, Suter A et al. · Clinical therapeutics · 2006
Schoop R, Klein P, Suter A et al.. Echinacea in the prevention of induced rhinovirus colds: a meta-analysis. Clinical therapeutics. 2006
Randomized controlled trials
3- 8Herb-drug interaction between Echinacea purpurea and etravirine in HIV-infected patientsPMIDMoltó J, Valle M, Miranda C et al. · Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2012
Moltó J, Valle M, Miranda C et al.. Herb-drug interaction between Echinacea purpurea and etravirine in HIV-infected patients. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2012
- 9Enhancement of innate and adaptive immune functions by multiple Echinacea speciesPMIDZhai Z et al. · Journal of Medicinal Food · 2007
Echinacea extracts are potent activators of NK cell cytotoxicity, stimulate production of IL-6, TNF, IL-12, and NO from macrophages via ERK, p38, JNK, and NF-kappaB pathways.
- 10Echinacea purpurea therapy for the treatment of the common cold: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialSource linkedPMIDTurner RB, Bauer R, Woelkart K et al. · Clin Infect Dis · 2005
Reviews & position papers
5- 11Phytochemistry, Mechanisms, and Preclinical Studies of Echinacea Extracts in Modulating Immune Responses to Bacterial and Viral Infections: A Comprehensive ReviewPMIDAhmadi F · Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
Ahmadi F. Phytochemistry, Mechanisms, and Preclinical Studies of Echinacea Extracts in Modulating Immune Responses to Bacterial and Viral Infections: A Comprehensive Review. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland). 2024
- 12Echinacea in hepatopathy: A review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safetyPMIDXu W, Zhu H, Hu B et al. · Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology · 2021
Xu W, Zhu H, Hu B et al.. Echinacea in hepatopathy: A review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology. 2021
- 13A systematic review on the effects of Echinacea supplementation on cytokine levels: Is there a role in COVID-19?Source linkedPMIDAucoin M, Cardozo V, Cooley K et al. · Metabol Open · 2021
- 14Review and Assessment of Medicinal Safety Data of Orally Used Echinacea PreparationsPMIDArdjomand-Woelkart K et al. · Planta Medica · 2016
Adverse events during clinical trials were generally mild and mostly without causality; long-term use up to 6 months showed no toxicological concerns.
- 15Immunomodulation with echinacea - a systematic review of controlled clinical trialsPMIDBlock KI et al. · Integrative Cancer Therapies · 2003
Macrophage activation was demonstrated most convincingly, including enhanced phagocytotic indices and macrophage-derived cytokine concentrations.
Reference material
2- 16Burlou-Nagy C, Bănică F, Jurca T et al.. Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench: Biological and Pharmacological Properties. A Review. Plants (Basel, Switzerland). 2022Source linkedPMID
- 17Ross SM. Echinacea purpurea: A Proprietary Extract of Echinacea purpurea Is Shown to be Safe and Effective in the Prevention of the Common Cold. Holistic nursing practice. 2016Source linkedPMID
Common questions.
Quick answers about Echinacea, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Echinacea?
Popular immune-stimulating herb used at the onset of colds.
What is Echinacea used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Echinacea include: Immune stimulation; Cold/flu duration reduction; Upper respiratory support. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate.
What is a typical dose of Echinacea?
A typical adult dose of Echinacea is 300-500 mg 3x daily (at onset of illness). The commonly recommended form is Echinacea purpurea aerial parts extract. These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Echinacea?
Reported side effects include allergic reactions (ragweed family), gi upset, dizziness. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Echinacea?
NutriStack rates this as Moderate, meaning several aligned RCTs or one large RCT plus supporting reviews. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
Echinacea in NutriStack.
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