According to a recent study, the herbal remedy Echinacea is actually not beneficial in curing colds and its symptoms. The study reveals that it does not do any better than a placebo when treating sore throat, fever, sneezing and other symptoms of colds.

The said study was participated by 719 people aged 12 to 80. They all have symptoms of colds and were randomly given medications such as a pill that they thought contained Echinacea, a pill that could be a sugar pill or no pill at all.

The herbal remedy, Echinacea, is commonly known as purple coneflower. The flowers, stems and roots of Echinacea, native to North America, are sold in the market as an effective treatment for infections of immune system.

Those participants who received Echinacea were seen to have very little improvement from cold symptoms. This may be due to chance alone. The said study was published on Tuesday and instructed participants to record their symptoms twice a day for a period of one week. The lead researcher and also a professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Internal Medicine, Bruce Barrett, said that there was no significant decrease in the symptoms of colds. There was no significant impact in helping cure common colds as compared to the effect of blinded placebo or no pills at all.

According to Barrett, "Adults who have found Echinacea to be beneficial should not discontinue use based on the results of this trial, as there are no proven effective treatments and no side-effects were seen."

The said study made use of good quality of products at a dosage of Echinacea that is reasonable and highly tested. There are more than 800 products that contain Echinacea that are available in the market. Most supplements may contain different parts of Echinacea and other herbs that have not been tested.

The official website of Health Canada states that Echinacea is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Those who are suffering from tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune disorders and multiple sclerosis must consult their physicians first before ever using Echinacea.

In addition to this, doctors said that using antibiotic cannot as well fight cold virus and may have side effects when used. On the other hand, pain relievers, fluids and a lot of rest are generally recommended by doctors.