Why Echinacea Still Matters

Meet echinacea. This small genus of plants is native to the prairies and open woodlands of North America. The best-known species for health purposes is referred to as Echinacea purpurea, the purple coneflower you’ll see in many gardens. Perhaps even your neighbours!

Different Indigenous peoples across the Great Plains used echinacea root and aerial parts for a grab-bag of issues. That includes snakebites, sore throats, wounds, immunity, and more. Then fast-forward to the late 1800s. “Eclectic” physicians in the U.S. made echinacea one of their star remedies. Then came the antibiotic era and, like many botanicals, echinacea was pushed into the background.

Europe, however, has a unique habit of rediscovering useful plants. In the mid-20th century, German and Swiss researchers began studying echinacea in depth. They looked at which species, which parts, and even which extraction methods actually produced measurable effects on immune cells and infections.

What Does Echinacea…Actually Do? And Does the Type Matter?

Modern research sees A.Vogel’s Echinaforce acting as an immune “modulator” rather than a straight stimulant.¹˒² This extract has seven decades of use behind it, and that’s given scientists a lot of time to understand how it works. It is understood that it:

• Influences inflammatory messengers
• Supports antiviral defences
• Can directly (and indirectly) block certain respiratory viruses
• Was recently shown to reduce a virus’s ability to attach to cells³

This depth of evidence is unique to Echinaforce—and it’s why choosing the right type of echinacea makes all the difference.

Fun Fact: The genus name Echinacea comes from the Greek word echînos, meaning “hedgehog” or “sea urchin.” If you know the flower, you’ve seen that spiky head.

What Does the Evidence Show?

A large four-month, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 755 adults tested A.Vogel’s Echinaforce. Continuous use over those months significantly reduced the number of cold episodes, how many days people were sick, and the use of painkillers when compared to a placebo.⁴

A meta-analysis of randomized trials later showed that echinacea can lower the risk of recurrent respiratory infections. Even complications like sinusitis, bronchitis, and otitis media dropped.⁵ What’s interesting is that the benefits were most pronounced in people who catch “every bug going round.” The strongest effects were from ethanol extracts of fresh E. purpurea, with many of the studies drawing from decades of research on Echinaforce.

Children aren’t left out. A randomized, blinded trial of the Echinaforce Junior tablets in kids aged 4–12 showed similar benefits, including fewer ear and secondary infections (bronchitis, pneumonia, and sinusitis) and 76% less antibiotic use.⁶

Is it a force field?

No.

But science shows that it does meaningfully tilt the odds in your favour—especially if you’re a frequent flyer for stuffy noses and chesty coughs.

Why Echinaforce Is in a Different League

In Switzerland, A.Vogel is a phytopharmaceutical company, meaning its herbal products are developed and registered as medicines, with the same quality and evidence requirements to boot. These products are covered by public health insurance in both Switzerland and South Africa, where they carry a NAPPI code—unique identifiers used so medical plans can reimburse recognized health products.

So, among echinacea products, Echinaforce is the kid at the front of the class who actually did the homework. And they brought receipts.

References:
1. Schapowal, Andreas. “Efficacy and safety of Echinaforce^® in respiratory tract infections.” Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift3 (2013): 102-105.
2. Aucoin, Monique, et al. “A systematic review on the effects of Echinacea supplementation on cytokine levels: Is there a role in COVID-19?.” Metabolism open11 (2021): 100115.
3. Vimalanathan, Selvarani, et al. “Respiratory virus-induced bacterial dysregulation in pediatric airway tissue and the dual actions of Echinacea in reducing complications.” Frontiers in Pharmacology16 (2025): 1579551.
4. Jawad, Moutaz, et al. “Safety and efficacy profile of Echinacea purpurea to prevent common cold episodes: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial.” Evidence‐Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine1 (2012): 841315.
5. Gancitano, Giuseppe, et al. “Echinacea reduces antibiotics by preventing respiratory infections: A Meta-Analysis (ERA-PRIMA).” Antibiotics4 (2024): 364.
6. Ogal, Mercedes, et al. “Echinacea reduces antibiotic usage in children through respiratory tract infection prevention: a randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial.” European journal of medical research1 (2021): 33.

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