Echinacea - Which is more effective?
The Seeds
The precious seeds that Black elk gave to Alfred Vogel are the forefathers
of the seeds we use today. Seeds are collected from our harvest each autumn to
create the new stock of spring seedlings.
The Species
There are many species of Echinacea: Purpurea, angustifolia and
pallida are the most widely used. Experience and research show that E.
Purpurea is the species most effective in aiding immune function.
The Cultivation
Our Echinacea is organically grown in Switzerland, and ideal climate
for cultivating strong, healthy Echinacea plants. no insecticides, fungicides or
chemical fertilisers are permitted in our cultivation. We also adhere to GACP
(Good Agricultural and Collection Practice).
The Harvesting
We hand harvest our herbs, usually at sunrise when the active substances are
at their highest. Plants are cut above ground level and transported immediately
to our nearly factory. Roots of 3-year-old plants are harvested and also
processed immediately.
The Freshness
Using fresh herb ensures that the active substances are still at their peak,
whereas the drying process will remove many of the volatile constituents. Dried
herbs are usually fumigated or irradiated, which is unnecessary when plants are
used fresh from the field.
The Alcohol
By using alcohol we can extract both oil and water-soluble substances,
ensuring the dynamics of the plant remain unchanged. Alcohol also ensures the
herb is absorbed quickly by the body.
The Standardisation
Our herbs are grown, cultivated, harvested and manufactured in the best
possible way. We ensure all active substances are preserved. We take nothing out
and we certainly do not add anything! We let nature decide. This is called
Holistic Standardisation.
The Quality
Our products are made to the principles of GMP (Good Management Practice),
the gold standard for the manufacture of medicines. Echinaforce tincture must
pass more than 100 quality control tests. Echinaforce tablets must pass a
further 90 quality tests.
Use Echinacea For -
- Bacterial Infections - Respiratory tract infections, urinary infections or skin infections
- Viral Infections - Colds, flu, shingles or chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fungal infections - Candida overgrowth, thrush or ringworm
- Prevention - avoid colds and flu by taking a maintenance dose of Echinaforce throughout the winter months
Does Echinacea Work?
YES!!...but only if you use the right product
Reasons for inconsistent clinical research results:
1. Quality of products - Investigations into the quality of many
products available through retail outlets have found that many contain no
measurable Echinacea, with milligram values on the labels being only weakly
associated with measured constituents in many others. Obviously, a poor
quality product will not have the actions of Echinaforce!
2. Fresh Herbs - Drying Echinacea causes the loss of important
alkylamides, which contribute greatly towards the effectiveness of the remedy. Echinaforce
is made from freshly harvested plants.
3. Extraction Method - Extracting herbs in a water and alcohol mix,
as we do with Echinaforce, ensures as near a copy as possible of what was
originally in the herb itself. using other extraction methods may result in a
less effective remedy.
4. Part Used - Both the herb and root contain important constituents that
contribute synergistically to the overall effect of the plant. Both must be
used, as they are in Echinaforce.
Authors of a positive trial carried out in 2004 were of the opinion that the
negative results of other trials 'may be the result of investigators utilising
poorly standardised Echinacea products, likely devoid of sufficient quantities
of active constituents'
The Message is clear......Use the 'right' product!
Echinaforce - How It Works
The way in which Echinaforce works was shown in 2004 by a research team at
the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland - one of the top 10 universities in the world.
In-Vitro experiments provided answers to three main questions:
1. Which are the active substances in Echinaforce? - Alkylamides
contribute greatly to the effect of Echinaforce. These substances are volatile
and levels are highest in fresh herb extracts.
2. Where in the cell does the effect take place? - The Alkylamides in
Echinaforce dock on the CB2 receptor of immune cells, which generate an
effective immune defence.
3. What effects are triggered by this? - Binding to this receptor
effectively regulates the central activator of the immune system known as TNF-a
(Tumour necrosis factor - Alpha). TNF-a needs to be tightly regulated - the body
needs it, but not too much of it.
Echinaforce Research
Immune system cells were collected from healthy volunteers and treat with
A.Vogel Echinaforce. Lipipolysaccharide (LPS) was then added, as immune cells
recognise it as foreign and dangerous. The amount of TNF-a produced by the
cells was then measured.
Study Results
- Cells Treated with Echinaforce prior to exposure to LPS produced TNF-a more persistently and less dramatically than those exposed to LPS without the benefit of Echinaforce.
- The Production of TNF-a was smoother and more sustained, thus aiding a better immune response, without excess inflammation.
- Alkylamides in Echinaforce were found to be effective in modulating TNF-a production, but only when accompanied by the rest of the herbs constituents - its a group effort!
- Production of TNF-a requires messenger RNA to be present in the cell. Cells treated with Echinaforce were found to contain higher levels of messenger RNA, and were therefore primed to produce TNF-a effectively the moment it was needed.
- Echinaforce can therefore be seen to prepare the cell for the production of TNF-a, which in turn improves the way the immune system deals wit pathogenic material.
Echinaforce - The Cold and Flu centre
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