Boost your immune system

With a rise in swine flu again making headlines it is worth remembering that recent laboratory research showed, for the first time, that fresh Echinacea extract is highly effective against the swine flu virus, with the ability to inactivate the infectiousness by over 99%. The pioneering laboratory-based research was carried out using the ‘in vitro’ infection model on five influenza strains, utilising an extract of fresh Echinacea purpurea.

The group of international researchers found the pattern of activity provides support for the already widely accepted use of Echinacea extracts to help relieve symptoms in people affected by the flu virus, of which swine flu is a variant.

They believe Echinacea works by inhibiting the binding of the virus to cells, interfering with the way viruses enter cells. And no resistance was observed.

Prof. Dr James Hudson, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at University of British Columbia, Canada said: “Especially for people unwilling to be vaccinated, there is currently a need for alternative approaches to provide protection against respiratory tract infections.”