Have you noticed that viral illnesses are pretty common lately? Whether RSV, influenza, Covid, or strange ones that don’t test positive for anything… there is a lot of sickness around. I work in a pharmacy and see a lot of it there, and I also hear from friends and family.

I have a passion for preventative medicine. Echinacea is a potent support for the immune system, and many studies back this up. It is one of those herbs that has been around a long time, and it is often upstaged by newer ones, but it has stood the test of time. It is also very pretty to grow in the garden.

Echinacea is the favourite herb of one of my favourite herbalists, Professor Kerry Bone. I was listening to a podcast of him talking about it recently so I am inspired again to give this herb the credit it is due. While fancy herbs come and go, this herb is a central part of my dispensary. It is also back on my list of herbs I take daily because of its benefits for supporting strong immunity.

Echinacea is not an herb to take necessarily just when you start to feel sick, but it’s a good preventative measure, especially during this viral illness season. It also has other benefits- no herb is just good for one thing- but here we will focus on immunity.

First, let me dispel a couple of myths.

There was a myth prevailing that echinacea should not be taken continually. This is simply false. Kerry Bone has been taking it nonstop for 30 years, and it has had an excellent effect. There is no medical reason to take breaks from it.

Another myth is that theoretically, people with autoimmune diseases should not take it because it might overstimulate their immune system. This is also false, and quite the opposite, Kerry has helped many people overcome autoimmune diseases with echinacea as a major part of their protocol. Our immune system has two parts: the innate and the adaptive. It seems that echinacea helps to balance them both. I have an autoimmune condition and have no problem taking echinacea in quite high doses at times.

Dr Bone recommends only the root of the angustifolia and purpurea echinaceas, and this is worth noting because many preparations available contain the whole plant including the leaves and flowers. This is obviously cheaper to produce. The aerial parts of the plant have weaker action, whereas the root has all the power—it is also the part that was used by the Native Americans.

The active constituents of echinacea are the alkamides, and the strength of the medicinal aspect of the plant can be found by putting the preparation on the tongue (if it is a liquid)—it should cause tingling. So be aware if you are buying echinacea to only get root preparations with standardised alkamide levels.

I buy echinacea specifically from the company Dr Kerry Bone established because they test every batch of echinacea, and theirs have twice the alkamide levels of the nearest competition. If you have been a client in the last 12 months and you would like me to either make you up a herbal immune system mix with echinacea, or give you access to it on the online dispensary, just let me know.

In this 2024 meta analysis, Echinacea Reduces Antibiotics by Preventing Respiratory Infections, it was shown that taking echinacea extract could help prevent and reduce severity of upper respiratory tract infections in adults.

In 2021 a good quality study was done with 187 healthy children age 4-12 years, which showed that taking an echinacea purpurea supplement could reduce antibiotic usage for respiratory tract infections by up to 32%, compared to taking Vit C.

If your kids frequently come home with respiratory infections from daycare and school, this may be common and normal, but it isn't necessarily ideal. Especially if it sometimes leads to needing to take antibiotics, which can damage the microbiome.

Please don’t believe that recurrent viral infections are good for the immune system, whether for adults or children. Frequent, recurrent infections are a sign of a weakened immune system, not one that is getting stronger. We can strengthen our immune systems with herbs such as echinacea, supplements with zinc and vitamin C, a good diet, and practical hygiene and disease prevention strategies.