DENVER—Echinacea is widely used in the United States as a remedy for the common cold and as an immune system booster. However, a recent analysis of 59 echinacea products sold in retail stores showed that many did not contain the species of Echinacea indicated on the label and that a claim of “standardization” does not guarantee accuracy of labeling.[1]

The investigators purchased the single-herb echinacea preparations from various retail stores in the Denver area during a two-day period. Labels were examined for listings of species and plant parts, milligrams of herb, price, dose, recommended daily dose, and standardization claims. (The term “standardized” implies that the product is comparable to other standardized preparations of the same herb.)

Cautionary statements and contraindications were assessed for each sample, and the product’s conformity to FDA labeling recommendations was noted. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used to measure the actual concentrations of cichoric acid and echinacoside—two substances that are consistently found in Echinacea and that can be used to identify various species—in each product.

DIFFERENCES ABOUND

Of the 59 samples, 21 were labeled as being standardized. In the standardized group, the recommended dose ranged from 45 to 1,600 mg, and the retail cost per daily dose varied between $0.07 and $1.33. The recommended dose in the nonstandardized group ranged from 100 to 5,380 mg; the retail cost per daily dose was between $0.02 and $2.99.

Only four of the 59 samples met all of the FDA’s labeling requirements. Claims about the activity of echinacea were made in 16 samples from the standardized group and 21 from the nonstandardized group. Of all samples, 47 had expiration dates and 28 had caution statements.

BUYER BEWARE

As determined by TLC, six samples contained no measurable Echinacea. All of these were from the nonstandardized group and were excluded from further analysis. The content of 31 samples matched the species of Echinacea listed on the label. Of 18 samples that did not match the labeled contents, seven contained more species of Echinacea than were listed and 10 contained fewer. Four samples (all nonstandardized) contained a different species of Echinacea than the one listed on the label.

Many of the products failed to indicate the amount of echinacea they were supposed to contain. However, among the samples that did indicate specific amounts, few contained anything close to those levels.

The authors pointed out that mature Echinacea plants (those at least two years old) contain tenfold to 100-fold higher concentrations of cichoric acid than do young plants. The inconsistencies that the researchers found in the present study may have been caused by plants being harvested early to meet consumer demand. It is also possible that cichoric acid levels degrade while the product is on the shelf. If that is the case, said the authors, expiration dates should reflect this.

—Gale Jurasek