Echinacea

[DMatt]

When ordering vitamins/supplements I always check to make sure they are marked gluten free. When reading the label on the echinacea bottle it is noted that those with auto immune conditions should not take echinacea. I never noticed this precaution before. Does anyone have additional information? Can celiacs ingest echinacea? Thanks.

[jerseyangel]

Thats interesting--I've never noticed that warning before. I have taken echinacia before, but it was several years ago--I didn't know I had celiac disease, so I didn't read labels with the same scrutiny that I do now. I never thought that it helped me with colds, etc. so I stopped using it.

[jenvan]

Echinacea activates your immune system, gives it a boost, so if you have an autoimmune disease, that would mean it also activates your disease. ie. if you have Hashi's thyroid (where your body attacks your thyroid) taking Echinacea could theoretically increase damage potential... Celiac is unique in the the sense that if we are gluten-free and our body is no longer attacking our intestines, then our autoimmune disease is dormant, so to speak, so taking Echinacea should be technically be okay. I waited until recently to begin taking Echinacea again, and I only do so for a short period of time when I am getting sick and my body needs some help. Taking Echinacea long term or too frequently is not good for anyone. If you have been gluten-free for a while, and decide to take Echinacea, make sure you verify that the supplement is gluten-free. Hope that helps !

[jerseyangel]

Thanks Jen--I get it now!

[Guest Viola]

I was told by my doctor (he has a Celiac son) that Celiac's should not be taking Echinacea. Even if we are feeling healthy and accidently get into gluten contamination, it makes it much worse.

[DMatt]

Thank you very much. What seemed complicated is now understandable. I think we will just stay away from the echinacea. Thanks again.

[jenvan]

Shirley...That is a good point. There is an amount of risk in choosing to take it either way. I felt like it was worth taking last week...it is such an amazing supplement! I wonder about other "immune boosters" like goldenseal etc. too...

[Guest Viola]

My doctor told me to be very careful with all the herbal stuff as one ... they are not tested on people with auto immune diseases and two ... their contents are not government regulated ... by that I mean they can put as much, or as little of the active ingredient as they want and use what ever they want for fillers.

[jenvan]

yeah, that's true. herbs can be "subjective." i stick with two brands mostly...one that my husband's mom has worked with for years. we trust the purity of their products.

[nikki-uk]

When ordering vitamins/supplements I always check to make sure they are marked gluten free. When reading the label on the echinacea bottle it is noted that those with auto immune conditions should not take echinacea. I never noticed this precaution before. Does anyone have additional information? Can celiacs ingest echinacea? Thanks.

I think the theory behind this is(bare with me) is echinacea boosts your immune system.

If you suffer from an autoimmune disease(such as celiac disease)your immune system is really super sensitive and working too hard already.Your immune system is so good,that it's turned in on itself(think of rheumatiod arthritis where the body attacks the joints)

So,bottom line-your immune system doesn't need boosting-in fact it needs dampening down.

This of course is just my take and understanding of it.

Hope that made sense!

[jenvan]

Open Original Shared Link

this might give you a wee bit more info--this is when i posted this same question a while back...

[CMCM]

When ordering vitamins/supplements I always check to make sure they are marked gluten free. When reading the label on the echinacea bottle it is noted that those with auto immune conditions should not take echinacea. I never noticed this precaution before. Does anyone have additional information? Can celiacs ingest echinacea? Thanks.

Well, I've felt like I was coming down with a horrible sore throat...felt like strep throat or something. I could hardly swallow, felt like there was a lump in my throat. At first I thought it was perhaps reaction to going totally off gluten because this started about 4 days after that....and oddly, taking 2 Advil helped, but at that point I was taking Echinacea AND Astragalus, which I had recently read was thought by some to be even more effective than echinacea. Plus I took 1g vitamin C a couple of times a day. Anyhow, this sort of came and went for a couple of days but now seems to be gone 4 days after I first felt it, and I never did get sick beyond the sore throat. In any case, was this a cold developing or was it due to gluten withdrawal? Who knows, not I. But the echinacea didn't seem to bother me as far as I can tell. I looked at the bottle and it also had the autoimmine warning. Weird.

[jenvan]

it might have been a cold. can't tell you how many times in the past i was getting sick, took echinacea for a 2 days and was normal again. i have been reading on Astragalus...going to have to do some more research and maybe try sometime. goldenseal is good too...

[CMCM]

it might have been a cold. can't tell you how many times in the past i was getting sick, took echinacea for a 2 days and was normal again. i have been reading on Astragalus...going to have to do some more research and maybe try sometime. goldenseal is good too...

I'm using one of Swanson's Premium Brand Echinacea with Goldenseal Root. The bottle claims the only other ingredient is gelatin. In my family, we all think it can nip things in the bud. The jury is out on the astragalus, but it's interesting. This was my first experience with it recently.

[mudgely]

I'm using one of Swanson's Premium Brand Echinacea with Goldenseal Root. The bottle claims the only other ingredient is gelatin. In my family, we all think it can nip things in the bud. The jury is out on the astragalus, but it's interesting. This was my first experience with it recently.

I can confirm that echinacea has a rapid immune effect in the gastroinstestinal tract from an experience that I am having right now. Last night, I got "glutened" at a restaurant. I realized it as soon as it happened, and I took 30 mg dexamethasone to suppress my immune response. Today, I was still reacting, to I took 15 mg twice during the day, and things were OK. I was in the mood for some tea, and without thinking I drank some echinacea tea. My body responded within minutes, with cramping and diarrhea. It occurred to me immediately, that the echinacea must have boosted my immune response, so my body was rejecting the gluten still in me.