Evaluation of Echinacea for the Common Cold

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2001-09-30

Study Completion Date

2004-05-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to determine whether three Echinacea preparations with different chemical compositions are effective for prevention or treatment of the common cold.

Detailed Description

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Echinacea is a widely used herbal remedy for the common cold. Previous clinical trials designed to assess the efficacy of Echinacea for prevention or treatment of the common cold have produced inconsistent results. A variety of different Echinacea products have been used in these clinical trials. Recent studies indicate that different Echinacea preparations have dramatically different phytochemical profiles. The available clinical trial data provide no information about the potential role of the different constituents of Echinacea in common cold prevention or treatment. Our hypothesis is that the variation in reported clinical effectiveness may be due to differences in the phytochemical profile of the Echinacea preparations used. This study will address the following specific aims: 1) Evaluate the effectiveness of chemically defined extracts of E. angustifolia root which contain alkamides, echinacoside or polysaccharidelglycoprotein for common cold prevention or treatment; 2) Assess the correlation between specific Echinacea metabolites in serum and nasal secretions and efficacy for prevention and treatment of colds; and 3) Determine the effect of different Echinacea preparations on the host response to rhinovirus infection.

Conditions

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Common Cold

Keywords

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common cold Echinacea

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Interventions

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Echinacea

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Eligible Sex

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Principal Investigators

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Ronald B. Turner, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Virginia School of Medicine

J. David Gangemi, PhD

Role:

Clemson University

Rudolf Bauer, PhD

Role:

Karl-Franzens-Universitaet Graz

Locations

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University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Turner RB, Bauer R, Woelkart K, Hulsey TC, Gangemi JD. An evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in experimental rhinovirus infections. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jul 28;353(4):341-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa044441.

Reference Type RESULT

PMID: 16049208 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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R01AT001146-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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