Echinacea is a commonly used herbal remedy in the United States whose use in traditional medicine dates back to the American Indians, says the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. In addition to its broad use in relieving cold and flu symptoms, echinacea is used by some to treat fungal and bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections, gum disease, genital herpes and vaginal yeast infections. As with any supplement, consult your doctor before using echinacea to improve your health.
About Yeast Infections
Candida, commonly called yeast, is a fungus that can live inside your body. If you are sick and your immune system is weakened, the yeast can cause an infection. Yeast infections can develop in different parts of your body, including your skin, mouth, esophagus, blood and vagina. Some self-care activities that may help to prevent yeast infections include staying away from foods containing yeast and mold, including bread and cheese, and taking anti-fungal supplements such as echinacea.
Function
Echinacea contains active substances that can directly destroy yeast and other kinds of fungi, says the NIH. In fact, a laboratory study reported in “Medical Mycology” in 2009 showed that echinacea attacked the cell wall of the fungus, which may explain its usefulness in treating fungal infections. Echinacea also contains chemicals that boost the activity of your immune system, relieve pain, reduce inflammation and have antioxidant effects.
Effectiveness
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, echinacea may be useful in combination with an anti-fungal agent called econazole that is used to treat yeast infections. The combination of echinacea and econazole may lower the recurrence rates of yeast infections. In fact, the NIH reports that adding echinacea to a treatment of econazole cream may lower the recurrence rate of vaginal yeast infections from 61 percent to about 16 percent.
Considerations
The NIH reports that echinacea is generally safe for most people when used for a short time. You may experience side effects from echinacea such as fever, gastrointestinal upset, bitter taste, dry mouth, headache, dizziness, sleeplessness, confusion, and joint and muscle aches. Echinacea can also cause allergic reactions, especially if you are allergic to ragweed, mums, marigolds or daisies. Avoid echinacea if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Echinacea
- National Institutes of Health: Yeast Infections
- PaloAltoMedicalFoundation.org: Chronic Candidiasis
- “Medical Mycology”; Disruption of Fungal Cell Wall by Antifungal Echinacea Extracts; N. Mir-Rashed, et al.; Nov 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Echinacea
