[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

If they gave it to folks who already had sore throats and sniffles--as the article suggests--then the cows were out of the barn, and it's no wonder they showed no benefit. It is helpful when given at the first sign of a cold, or when you know you'll be exposed to folks with active bugs. But once you're infected, your immune system is going to have to do battle. The symptoms are part of the battle.

[stanz]

Exactly. Echinacea is supposed to be taken at the first sign of a sore throat or sniffles. It will do nothing if you already have a full-blown (pardon the pun)cold. You also have to take it several times a day to get the full effect.

[Doc On The Bay]

The Best "Scientific Studies" I've seen show that if you treat a cold, It lasts 5 1/2 days; An "untreated Cold" lasts 5 days!

We have Much to Learn!

Doc

[Adder]

Thats the way I see it also. Echinacea is not effective once the cold takes hold. It was dumb to structure the survey that way because that is not the prescribed[by herbalists] method of administering the herb. All I know is that it works for me when taken at the onset of symptoms.
Seems to me that the study was deliberately designed to produce failure. Wonder who paid for it?