Echinacea purpurea purple coneflower leaves

Several studies have shown that echinacea can help reduce excess inflammation.

This may raise your risk of chronic diseases and other health problems. Sometimes inflammation can get out of hand and last for longer than necessary and expected. Inflammation is your bodyвЂ™s natural way of promoting healing and defending itself. More research is needed before echinacea products can be recommended as a possible treatment. However, as of now, only a handful of studies on echinacea and anxiety exist. In addition, they did not make the mice less active, in contrast to higher doses of standard treatments ( 18).ДЄnother study found that Echinacea angustifolia extract rapidly reduced feelings of anxiety in both mice and humans ( 19). In one mouse study, three out of five echinacea samples helped reduce anxiety. These include alkamides, rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid ( 18). Research has discovered that echinacea plants contain compounds that may reduce feelings of anxiety. In recent years, echinacea plants have emerged as a potential aid for anxiety. May reduce feelings of anxietyДЄnxiety is a common problem that affects close to one in five American adults ( 17). Still, human-based research on the effects of echinacea on blood sugar is lacking. This makes it easier for cells to respond to insulin and sugar ( 16). This particular receptor works by removing excess fat in the blood, which is a risk factor for insulin resistance. Other test-tube studies found that echinacea extracts made cells more sensitive to insulinвЂ™s effects by activating the PPAR-y receptor, a common target of diabetes drugs ( 14, 15). This would reduce the amount of sugar entering your blood if consumed ( 13). In a test-tube study, an Echinacea purpurea extract was shown to suppress enzymes that digest carbohydrates. Test-tube studies have found that echinacea plants may help lower blood sugar levels. This includes type 2 diabetes, heart disease and several other chronic conditions. High blood sugar can raise your risk of serious health problems. In short, while echinacea may boost immunity, its effects on the common cold are unclear. This makes it hard to know if any benefits on colds are from taking echinacea or simply from chance ( 12). However, many studies on this topic are poorly designed and show no real benefit. In fact, a review of 14 studies found that taking echinacea may lower the risk of developing colds by more than 50% and shorten the duration of colds by one and a half days ( 11). ThatвЂ™s one reason why echinacea is often used to prevent or treat the common cold. Numerous studies have found that this plant may help your immune system combat infections and viruses, which could help you recover faster from illness ( 8, 9, 10). Positive effect on the immune SystemД®chinacea is best known for its beneficial effects on the immune system. Research on echinacea suggests that it offers several impressive health benefits.

Echinacea purpurea purple coneflower leaves