Potential immunological benefits of Echinacea

Nowadays, herbal remedy is becoming as the spotlight which capture the public attention. Echinacea is marketed as a dietary supplement to promote the immune system and it is currently one of the best-selling herbs according to the Nutrition Business Journal, and is touted as a favourite botanical remedy among herbal and alternative medicine experts. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of oral application of a commercially available Echinacea preparation on the immune system in Egyptian male and female volunteers. For this purpose, 25 healthy male and female adults, 23-45 years, will receive Echinacea preparation. The total daily dose 125 mg for consecutive 10 days. Blood was withdrawn to assess some immune markers just before beginning the study and after completing the course of medication. The herb extract induced a significant increase in IgG level and the percentage of immune cell populations, including CD4 and CD8 in both male and female volunteers. Also, there is a significant increase in CD4/CD8 ratio. In addition, there is a significant increase in the total leucocyte. In regard to the differential leucocyte, the Echinacea preparation significantly increased the lymphocytes in peripheral blood. For other leucocyte subpopulations (neutrophil, monocyte, eosinophil and basophil), no significant difference was observed after Echinacea treatment. The erythrocytic counts, the haemoglobin concentration and the haematocrit were in significantly increased in male but insignificantly in female. No remarkable change was noted in the platelets count after the treatment of Echinacea. These findings demonstrated that the plant Echinacea have immune-enhancing properties in male and female Egyptian volunteers