Dr. Michael Murray The IMMUNE FA CTOR - Natural MediFAQS

echinacea products on the market do not specify the
levels of active compounds because they have not been
analyzed for them. When manufacturers do state the
level of a particular marker compound, most consumers
fail to realize that concentrating only one particular
active compound of echinacea can result in a loss of
other constituents, and all of the herb’s synergistic
effects. For example, some manufacturers standardize
for “total phenolic content” or the compound
echinacoside. However, recent studies have found these
preparations may have some antioxidant properties, but
have no effect on enhancing immune function in
experimental animal studies. 1
What is a “Synergistic Effect”?
The Evolution of Echinacea
One of the most interesting phenomena in nature is
synergy. In the case of echinacea, it appears that
individual immune enhancing compounds produce
significant effects, but when they are
combined in meaningful amounts
there is an added or multiplied effect
much greater than the individual
components have separately. The
immune enhancing components of
echinacea work together in a har-
Dr. Richard Barton
University of British Columbia
monious fashion to produce the
phenomena of immune building synergy. In other
words, 1 + 1 + 1 = 6.
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