NIH/MediHerb Echinacea Clinical Trial
Our research collaborations extend to the United States where we have a large scale National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded project to examine the efficacy of MediHerb's Echinacea Premium tablets for the alleviation of the common cold.
This project is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among the patients of the Verona Family Medicine Clinic (Verona, Wisc.). This valuable trial will provide further evidence of efficacy that has already been demonstrated by a three-arm trial completed at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1998.
Astragalus Astragalus membranaceus
The earlier trial compared Echinacea Premium (standardized for alkylamides) to an adaptogen formula containing Korean Ginseng, Ashwaganda and Astragalus, and placebo in the prevention of winter colds over a three month period (MacIntosh A, et al, AANP Convention, Coeur d' Arlene, 1999). Those taking Echinacea Premium had a statistically significant (p = 0.03) decrease in winter infections when compared to placebo. The placebo group averaged an infection rate of 10% whereas the Echinacea group infection rate dropped to 2% at day 70. Ex vivo evidence of the efficacy of MediHerb Echinacea Premium for boosting immune function has also been obtained by researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Francis A, et al, Australian Neuroscience Society, Melbourne, 2000).
NIH/MediHerb Bacopa Clinical Trial Another NIH funded trial is to investigate the use of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) for cognitive enhancement in an aging population in collaboration with the Oregon Health & Science University. The principal investigator in this project, Dr Carlo Calabrese, approached MediHerb to supply a phytochemically characterized product and matching placebo for use in the trial.
For more information on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) see the website