According to a new study by the University of Virginia School of Medicine, taking the the herbal remedy Echinacea, to relieve the symptoms of the common cold, is a waste of time and offers no more relief than a placebo.
This finding, which shows no benefit from the herb, which is widely advertised as an immune system booster and promoted by advocates of "natural" remedies as a proven treatment, is just the latest of many.
As to whether these findings will affect sales of echinacea, it is unclear.
Wallace Sampson, editor of the <<>>, said in an accompanying comment, that studies disproving the effectiveness of such remedies rarely affects the production, or the public use, of the product as advocates often dismiss negative results.
Sampson says the majority of the previous tests that helped build echinacea's reputation were small, inadequately controlled studies, sponsored by the industry.
Echinacea, also known as purple coneflower, has been acclaimed by some, and in fact is recommended by the <<>>as a treatment for the common cold.
In this study echinacea was tested on 399 volunteers, in order to discover whether any of three preparations, had an active ingredient that reduced the risk of infection or symptoms, if an infection took hold.
Although the researchers led by Ronald Turner of the University of Virginia, tested the echinacea species originally used by native Americans in the midwest and endorsed by WHO, they found the treatment to be no more effective than a placebo.
Turner says there are many types of echinacea preparations, so it would be difficult to test them all.