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Abbeyside
Dungarvan
Co.Waterford
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Remedies' News
This web log will keep you informed about the latest events and developments in traditional medicine and alternative health care.
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Saturday, March 13, 2010
:: Herbal throat spray trial ::
A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study*, carried out to compare the results of using an Echinacea based throat spray with those of a pharmaceutical throat spray in patients with acute sore throats, has recently been published in Herbalgram No.83 (Feb-April 2010), the journal of the American Botanical Council.
The study was most encouraging, as it showed that the herbal throat spray (a mixture of echinacea and sage extracts) performed as well as its medication-based counterpart.
Sore throats are among the most common complaints encountered in general medical practice and generally occur in conjunction with upper respiratory tract infections. Viral infections account for at least 65% of all sore throats, so the use of antibiotics only plays a minor part in the treatment of sore throats.
This trial was conducted at 11 medical practices in the Swiss cantons of St Gallen, Zürich and Aargau. 151 patients were recruited, aged between 12 and 75, with acute pharyngitis or tonsillitis with throat pain and inflammation of the pharynx and/or tonsils, and onset of the sore throat less than 72 hours prior to the start of the study. The study was continued until the patients were symptom-free, up to a maximum of 5 days.
Each patient was given a patient diary. He or she had to rate their sore throat symptoms (difficulty swallowing, salivation, redness and fever) every morning before administering the first dose of treatment, at midday and in the evening.
The combined response rates showed that the echinacea and sage based throat spray was as good as the pharmaceutical spray for the resolution of symptoms of sore throat. There were no serious or otherwise significant adverse events in either group, and 94% of the Echinacea group said they’d use the product again. It is always gratifying to have clinical research such as this confirm the benefits of a herbal product.
*Reference: Schapowal A, Berger D, Klein P, Suter A. Echinacea/sage or chlorhexidine/lidocaine for treating acute sore throats: a randomized double-blind trial. Europ J Med Res.2009;14(9):406-412.
posted by Juergen 2:47 PM
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