Ginseng reduces the frequency of colds, Echinacea doesn't

October 27, 2005  

Folk and herbal remedies are often used in the hope that they will prevent the common cold or reduce the severity and duration of symptoms. Yet, few of these compounds are evaluated scientifically.

In this study Predy and colleagues randomized 323 study subjects to receive a proprietary ginseng ( Panax quinquefolius ) preparation or a placebo and followed them for 4 months during the winter (September to April). Using predetermined criteria to determine if subject-reported symptoms were "colds," the authors found that ginseng reduced the frequency of colds. Subjects in the ginseng group reported having 2 or more colds less often than subjects in the placebo group (10% v. 23%). Symptom severity and duration were also lessened.

In a related commentary, Ronald Turner of the University of Virginia School of Medicine recently evaluated Echinacea angustifolia as a preventive herbal product for the common cold (and found it did not work). He cautions physicians and the public about the difficulties of doing clinical studies of common viral infections, especially when the specific viruses are not identified.

p. 1043 Efficacy of an extract of North American ginseng containing poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides for preventing upper respiratory tract infections: a randomized controlled trial
-- T.K. Basu et al

cmaj.ca/misc/press/pg1043.pdf

p. 1051 Studies of "natural" remedies for the common cold: pitfalls and pratfalls
-- R.B. Turner

cmaj.ca/misc/press/pg1051.pdf

Dr. Tapan Basu
tapan.basu@ualberta.ca
Canadian Medical Association Journal
cma.ca/cmaj

 

Simple Remedy for the Common Cold?

October 27, 2005

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In the United States, at least 1 billion colds are reported a year. Now, researchers believe a simple herbal remedy can combat the common cold.

Investigators led by Gerald Predy, from Capital Health and the Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science, studied ginseng extract in people with a history of at least two colds in the previous year. Results show people taking the extract were significantly less likely to have two colds during the next cold season than those receiving a placebo for comparison purposes.

The research involved 323 people between ages 18 and 65. All were given two pills a day, containing either ginseng or a placebo, over a four-month period. About 10 percent of the people receiving the ginseng pills reported having two or more colds, compared to 23 percent of those receiving the placebo pills. They also had milder cold symptoms when they did have a cold.

Study authors believe the findings are important because, on average, Americans have between two and six colds a year. If ginseng could reduce those numbers, it could have a significant impact on public health.

Other investigators writing in a commentary, however, say it's too soon for everyone to start popping ginseng pills, noting it's difficult to obtain accurate results in studies involving unidentified viral agents.

SOURCE: Canadian Medical Journal, 2005;173:1043-1048

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