Echinacea

[jenvan]

I didn't see much here on the boards about echinacea... And I was wondering what the consensus was… I took it before diagnosis and loved it, but my understanding it is not okay to take with an autoimmune disease. I wondered though, if one is gluten-free would it be okay. Thoughts?

[Kasey'sMom]

Hi,

I wanted to share a website with you that has lots of information on herbs and supplements. Open Original Shared Link

They have information about herb studies, safety, dosage etc. You can go to the section on Herbs & Supplements A to Z to find the section on echinacea. They have a really cool section on perscription drugs and helpful/harmful interactions with vitamins and herbs (Drug Interactions A to Z.)

I have used gluten-free echinacea when I begin getting really sick. I start with 500mg Ester-C every few hours and then I add the echinacea if I really need it and don't get relief from the vit. C.

[tarnalberry]

I didn't see much here on the boards about echinacea...  And I was wondering what the consensus was…  I took it before diagnosis and loved it, but my understanding it is not okay to take with an autoimmune disease.  I wondered though, if one is gluten-free would it be okay.  Thoughts?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it's worthwhile to note that, while celiac disease is an autoimmune process, it only happens if you're consuming gluten. So, chemically, you could say that you don't have an autoimmune disease if you're not eating gluten at all. (The auto-immune process requires gluten to drive it in the case of this disease.)

[jenvan]

Cool site Kasey's Mom !

Thanks Tiffany...that is what I was thinking...so unless I'm gorging on gluten, it should be okay

[meganlatebird]

Hey Jen,

How long have you been gluten free? Depending on how long it has been, your body could still be producing auto-immune antibodies, in which case Echinacea could be problematic. Also, echinacea is a good herb if you are trying to fight off an active infection, like a cold, but it is not the best herb as a preventative since long term use can actually weaken the immune system. The chinese herb astragalus is a much better preventative which strengthens the immune system over time. It may even be helpful for those with auto-immune illness but there isn't enough evidence one way or the other yet to be certain. Astragalus is a very gentle herb, easy to tolerate, and can help with fatigue as well.

Also, for anyone doing the bood type diet, echinacea is considered problematic for blood type O.

meganlatebird

[jenvan]

i have been gluten-free for 6 mos...but i would prbly not go back to taking echinacea till i feel a ton better...which is not yet and yeah, i did only hit the echinacea when i was getting sick and usually for only a few days. i have heard of Astragalus... i might look into that. thanks!