Every autumn, we can read articles about whether anything helps against the common cold. Most virologists say no, it doesn't, but then Professor of Pharmacognosy, Jan G Bruhn, reacts and says they are wrong. He believes there is indeed help available – plant-based medicine that reduces cold symptoms and helps one recover faster.

What is this due to, Jan G Bruhn?

– I simply believe it's due to ignorance. It's based on meta-analyses done ten to twelve years ago where the conclusions were not unambiguous. It takes time to delve into studies, and I believe few doctors in Sweden have the time for that, given the workload. Perhaps there's also no interest in natural remedies. In countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, natural medicine is integrated into traditional healthcare. That is, they collaborate and use the medicine that is best for the patient. Unfortunately, in Sweden, that's not the case. I would say Sweden is a bit like a developing country when it comes to plant-based medicine.

VARYING ABSORPTION IN THE BODY

When Jan G Bruhn talks about the lack of knowledge among the medical community, he says it's not just about reading studies. It's equally about understanding the origin of plants and how raw materials are produced, as this is crucial for how well the preparation works.

For example, when the cold herb echinacea is harvested and processed, it can be prepared as dried or fresh. Studies show that fresh echinacea has better absorption in the body than dried raw material. If two family members with colds use two different products and one recovers faster (following the recommended dose), the difference might be that the one who recovers faster uses a preparation with better absorption in the body.

– In my lectures, I often make a comparison: you don't go into Systembolaget just to buy a bottle of red wine; you have a specific idea for your red wine. It's about the grape, the country, and the vintage to get the taste experience you desire. It's the same with plant-based products. The effect of the preparation varies greatly depending on how the plant is cultivated and processed, explains Professor Jan G Bruhn.

Recipe 4.0t - Cold focus is a tincture with Echinacea purpurea, Nettle, Horsetail, Sage. The herbs have very high absorption in the body because they are dissolved in ethanol.

POTENTIALLY MISLEADING RESULTS

A meta-analysis is a study that gathers information from several different studies, combines them to derive a result. A problem with natural remedies, which is not present in synthetically produced medicines, is that the raw materials vary greatly. They have biological variation. To get a reliable result, one needs to use studies on one and the same product.

– Meta-analyses on echinacea are based on several different products, and then you don't get a correct result. For example, you cannot mix a product like Alfred Vogel's Echinaforce, because it is made from fresh organic raw material, with a product containing dried echinacea. In a product like Echinaforce, the flower, stem, and root are included. Alfred Vogel, who is the father of this product, believed that the whole was more important than individual parts of a plant. In other products, only the flower is included, and it goes without saying that the end result will be different, explains Jan G Bruhn.

– The product-specific studies on Echinaforce show that the herbal medicine can shorten the number of sick days and reduce symptoms of a cold. That is, one feels better and recovers faster. Echinaforce has also been shown to have a small protective effect against the coronavirus, and not many preparations have shown that.

MANUFACTURE AND ORIGIN DETERMINE EFFECT

It is estimated that there are around 400 different viruses in circulation worldwide, and many of them change form. Even if you become immune to many viruses during your lifetime, you will still catch a cold. Some manage to avoid viral infections for several years, while others catch colds quite often during a year.

The average number of colds for an adult is considered to be three to four per year. Older people are more often affected because their immune system may be weakened for various reasons. Children usually catch colds more often. When children in daycare catch colds, the whole family can be afflicted with viral infections for a large part of the winter.

Unlike cold viruses, which are always around us, influenza viruses are usually seasonal and occur in significantly fewer variants. Thanks to this, it is possible to get vaccinated against influenza. However, vaccination does not provide 100% protection, but the risk of getting sick decreases, and the symptoms for those who do get the flu are usually milder. Getting vaccinated against influenza does not provide increased protection against cold viruses.

– Colds and flu together cause more sick leave than any other illness. A common feature of both diseases is that they are caused by viruses, which antibiotics do not affect. But nature has a solution, and it is called purple coneflower (echinacea), and its effect has scientific evidence. Echinaforce is the best-studied echinacea preparation on the market. Vogel has conducted several clinical studies with good results, and the product has a very well-studied antiviral effect. It is approved by the Swedish Medical Products Agency as a herbal medicine and is not a dietary supplement. Both safety, efficacy, and quality are guaranteed at a higher level, concludes Professor Jan G Bruhn.

FACTS

When echinacea products have been compared in studies, it has been confirmed that Echinaforce, on average, has ten times greater antiviral capacity than other echinacea preparations. The explanation lies in the manufacturing method that the Swiss Alfred Vogel once developed. He believed that the whole was more important than the individual plant parts and created organic cultivations, extracted the entire herb when it was fresh, meaning only a few hours after harvest.

The cold preparation also has an immunomodulatory effect. This means that the immune system is activated if it is weakened by factors such as stress, illness, aging, or lifestyle, but a strong immune system is not affected.

Symptoms are alleviated even if treatment starts during an ongoing cold/infection. Fever, headache, and sore throat are reactions to the body releasing pro-inflammatory substances to combat the virus. Purple coneflower balances the reaction and relieves symptoms.

When you get your first symptoms, such as a tickle in your nose or irritation in your throat, you can take the herbal medicine which can prevent the cold from breaking out. But if you do catch a cold, symptoms and the number of sick days can be reduced.

The text is published in collaboration with Mandarin Media for a healthier Sweden