Please be careful using echinacea!

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Hi everyone,

1st let me state that I'm not about to knock herbs,but please be careful taking echinacea.I took some echinacea tea about a month or so ago to help me fight this cold I had.It worked.It honestly worked,and I'm by nature rather skeptical about such things.Anyways,the next day I was feeling much better(I'd only had the cold about 3 days-generally,I'm doing well if I get over a cold with no complications in a week...),but I decided to have a bit more tea that day.Not too much-maybe one or two cups.Then I had one more before I went to bed at nearly 1:00 am.I was breathing great and feeling pretty well,do I fell asleep pretty quickly.Not too long later I awoke feeling as if someone was strangling me.I could not get any air in.I took my inhalers.I took a treatment.Still I could barely get any air in.Then I recalled the tea and also my husbands stories of getting bit by fire-ants while staioned at Ft.Polk,Louisiana.We are a 1/2 hr. from the hospital.So I took a good deal of benadryl,and a hot shower.It took about an hour before I felt well enough to go back to sleep.(It was rather an exhausting experience.)I went to my doctor the next morning who informed me that it was an allergic reaction and told me never to take that stuff again.

The moral of the story:If you have any allergies or asthma,please be careful taking echinacea as it is a member of the daisy "family" and can cause severe allergic reactions in those sensitive to it. Strange thing,I've never been prone to "hayfever";I always breathe quite well in the summer.Hence I assumed it was safe for me.

As I said before,it really did work,and I'm not bashing use of herbs.{In fact,if anyone knows a safe(for me)immune system booster please let me know.}With flu season upcoming,I just wanted to urge those with the aforementioned problems to please be careful.

Thanks for reading this,

God Bless,~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), December 06, 2000

Answers

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to put myself on the recent answers section before I retired for the evening.

God Bless,~~Tracy~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), December 06, 2000.


Hi!

Just wanted to be on the recent answer section before I retired for the eve.

Goodnight,God Bless,~~Tracy~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), December 06, 2000.


Ugh! Sorry about the double post...

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), December 06, 2000.

I've had asthma all my life. I do take echinacea a time or two in pill form at the first sign of a cold. I have really bad allergies and hayfever but I have never had trouble with it. Different folks have different reactions I guess. Something you might try is Pau de Arco herb tea.....it is supposed to be a naturally occurring anti- biotic. It works for me too but not quite as well as the echinacea. Oh and you need to steep it for quite a while and I recommend putting some peppermint and black tea in it too or it is aweful.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), December 06, 2000.

Not sure exactly what it does to him, but my brother can't use echinacea either. Probably best to be cautious taking anything new, start with a small amount. Also, our tendency is to think "If a little is good, a lot is better", which often isn't so. Not that that is what you did Tracy, just a general comment for caution.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), December 06, 2000.


Try Astragulus instead.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), December 06, 2000.

Eldest daughter and I can't have Echinaea or it's derivitive (epphedrine) or it's chemical copy (psudo-ephedrine). It makes her feel spacey and weird; it makes my heart POUND hard, and race very allarmingly. One of my co-workers says that it does him the same way. But millions CAN take it, and do just fine on it. Ephedrine is in a lot of over-the-counter diet and cold medicines, and has been accused of lots of bad side effects. Like any herb, you have to be aware of possible side effects, and reactions with other herbs and drugs.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), December 06, 2000.

LeeAnn Echinacea as far as I know does not contain ephedrine. Ephedra does. Please do not confuse this as taking ephedra could hurt you. It is naver a good idea to just suddenly begin taking large doses of any herb. Much better to try a dose or two, and see how you feel. Also if you have allergies, it would be better to do a home scratch test for allergy rection. Just scratch yourself with a sterile pin and apply the herb in the form of a strong tea. If you have a reaction, don't take it. This simple test has been used to determine allerig reaction for years. All households should keep an antihistamine on hand in case of rection for any reason. This simple precaution can save a lot of trips to the hospital.

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@calinet.com), December 06, 2000.

I'm glad to see you post this and thought I might add...If any one has a history of diabetes in the family they should not be using echinacea,because it is an immune booster.In diabetes type 1,your own immune system is overly stimulated and attacks and kills your own beta cells.Astralagus as Julie Froelich says:) is the better choice and the reason is that it is an immune system normalizer(if your sick its low)We have used echinacea for years and my N.D. put us straight.We have a diabetic son and a pre-diabetic daughter.He said the bottles really should have a warning posted re:diabetes.T.T.F.N. teri

-- teri m (mrs_smurf2000@yahoo.ca), December 06, 2000.

I believed in echneacia so much that I gave it to co-workers when they were feeling ill (also to keep everyone else from getting ill) One, ended up having a reaction to it. He said he felt dizzy and couldn't do things. My sister said that if you are allergic to daisies this would happen. He was. My mother who is a skeptic to everything natural we try to give her uses echnecia at the first sign of illness now. Gotta take that Vit C with it.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), December 06, 2000.


I can't take it because of my allergies! Even those who have never reacted to anything before, and who have taken echinecia (spelling ?) many times should watch out because allergies can develop for things. You may take it three or four times and be fine and then take it the next time and have a life-threatening reacton...so just be wise, be prudent and be careful!

I have to watch my herbs just like I would any prescription medicines...I'm allergic to most antibiotics and lots of other stuff so I won't take something new unless it is a have-to situation and then only with people standing by in case I pass out or something..

You have time to take control of your own health because nobody knows your own body like you do!!!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), December 07, 2000.


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