The herbal remedy echinacea can prevent colds and speed recovery from runny noses, coughs and other symptoms, according to a study published Sunday that could renew interest in the discredited product.
The analysis of 1,600 patients pooled from 14 previously published studies found that echinacea reduced the chances of catching a cold by 58 percent and shaved 1.4 days off the duration of a cold, researchers said.
But the findings in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases ran counter to results from recent head-to-head studies showing echinacea had no effect.
Dr. Ronald Turner, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia, who has studied echinacea in the past, called the report “a rehash of old data.”
“I would rather see new data,” he said.
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Items compiled from Tribune news services.
