Page 42 - 2018 SP Product Guide

The Science of Echinacea – MediHerb Research
®
Kerry Bone has always believed that a key aspect of modern herbalism is a respect for traditionally-generated knowledge. E. angustifolia
root however is very expensive and was cost prohibitive for many of his patients. To overcome this, Kerry developed Echinacea Premium,
a particular blend of E. angustifolia and E. purpurea roots. In 2003 MediHerb began an extensive research project which was designed to
®
identify the bioavailable components of Echinacea Premium and how they exert an effect on the immune system.*
What is Active Must First be Absorbed
Which of the key phytochemicals in Echinacea Premium are absorbed and therefore bioavailable? From MediHerb in vitro and
®
pharmacokinetic research we know:
ONLY alkylamides could be detected in the blood after taking The presence of only relatively small proportions of the
Echinacea Premium. No caffeic acid conjugates, nor degradation E. angustifolia alkylamides will result in a product with
products of these or the alkylamides were found 5 enhanced bioavailability due to their protective effect
The alkylamides mainly in E. purpurea were found to be rapidly This is a strong justification for the combination of
degraded by human liver microsomes E. angustifolia root with E. purpurea root, as in Echinacea
In contrast the alkylamides mainly in E. angustifolia were much Premium. A patent has been applied for to protect this very
more slowly degraded important finding 6
Interestingly, the alkylamides from E. angustifolia actually The total amount of alkylamides absorbed into the bloodstream
slowed down the rate of degradation of the alkylamides from was essentially the same for both Echinacea Premium tablets
E. purpurea and Echinacea Premium 1:2 liquid *
7
What is Absorbed Must be Active
Do alkylamides have an effect on the immune system?
Echinacea did not activate the immune system in the absence of suggests that the alkylamides are largely responsible for the
any immune system related challenge (in vitro research) systemic immune system effects of Echinacea lipophilic extracts
The Echinacea alkylamides tended to modulate the immune system This immune system modulating activity may be (at least in part)
response of macrophages and T cells in vitro, toning the response due to the interaction of alkylamides with cannabinoid receptors,
down in the face of a strong stimulus, hence helping the immune specifically CB2 (in vitro research) 10-12
system to operate more efficiently 8,9 Echinacea Premium increased heat shock protein levels (hsp70)
These results, combined with the fact that alkylamides are the only and increased white cell count in healthy volunteers 13
phytochemicals which are bioavailable from traditional lipophilic E. purpurea root boosted the number and function of natural killer
5
extracts of Echinacea root (such as ethanolic liquid extracts) , (NK) cells (a class of white blood cell) in mice *
14

A New Understanding of Echinacea
The research on Echinacea Premium by the MediHerb scientists has made a substantial contribution
®
to a new understanding of lipophilic extracts of Echinacea. It can be concluded from this research that:
Alkylamides must be used as the markers of quality and activity
The root of Echinacea is the preferred plant part, since it is highest in alkylamides
The preferred species of Echinacea are E. angustifolia and E. purpurea since they
contain high levels of alkylamides (compared to E. pallida)
Echinacea must be extracted using an alcohol percentage sufficiently high to efficiently
extract the alkylamides
The synergistic blend of E. angustifolia and E. purpurea alkylamides in Echinacea Premium
potentiate each other for greater clinical effect
One potential way in which the bioavailable alkylamides modulate the immune system
response is by interacting with CB2 receptors
Echinacea root (rich in alkylamides) also may boost the white cell count (clinical trial results),
especially NK cells (in animal models)
The traditional way Echinacea was used has been validated by scientific research
at the cutting edge of modern immunology*

REFERENCES 1 Wagner H. Z Phytother 1996; 17: 79-95 2 Felter HW, Lloyd JU. King’s American Dispensatory. 18th Edn, 3rd revision. First published 1905, reprinted Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, 1983. 3 Bauer R, Wagner H. In Wagner H, Farnsworth NR eds.
Economic and Medicinal Plant Research, Vol 5, Academic Press, London, 1991. 4 Melchart D, Clemm C, Weber B et al. Phytother Res 2002; 16: 138-142 5 Matthias A et al. Life Sciences 2005; 77: 2018-2029 6 Matthias A et al. Chem-Biol Interact 2005, 155: 62-70
7 Matthias A et al. Phytomedicine 2007; 14: 587-590 8 Stevenson LM et al. Molecules 2005; 10: 1279-1285 9 Matthias A et al. Fitoterapia 2008; 79: 53-58 10 Gertsch J et al. FEBS Lett 2004; 577: 563-569 11 Woelkart K et al. Planta Med 2005; 71: 701-705
12 Matthias A, Lehmann RP, Bone KM. Echinacea in Health – Risks and Benefits. In: Watson, R, Preedy V (eds). Botanical Medicine in Clinical Practice. CABI, Wallingford, UK, 2008, pp 683-689. 13 Agnew LL et al. J Clin Pharm Ther 2005; 30: 363-369
14 Miller SC. eCAM 2005; 2: 309-314
www.mediherb.com For more information on the Echinacea Research Project see page 12