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i think i'm going to guinea pig myself and try it! if the auto-immune theory is disputed, and if the home page article says more natural killer cells are good, then hell yea! i'd say that speaks to the good ol' virus theory, wot wot? i'm throwing immune system caution to the wind and takin me some echinacea.
Biogerontology. 2005;6(3):157-63.
Enhancement of natural killer cells and increased survival of aging mice fed daily Echinacea root extract from youth.
Brousseau M, Miller SC.
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
In spite of Echinacea-based products being among the best-selling herbs in the world to date, to allay assorted ailments, the debate is still on-going with respect to the efficacy of ingesting the herb intermittently, continuously, or only at the beginning of an affliction. We sought, therefore, to find out if mice, receiving dietary Echinacea daily, throughout life, from youth until late middle-age, demonstrated any longevity/survival differences, and/or any differences in their various populations of immune/ hemopoietic cells. Sustained and/or high levels of these cells are crucial for longevity. Some mice were maintained on a regular chow diet to which was added Echinacea purpurea daily (2 mg/mouse), from puberty (7 week) until just beyond 13 months of age (late middle-age in mice). Control mice, identically housed and maintained, received identical chow without the herb. Mice consuming untreated diet had a 79% survival by 10 months of age, while those consuming Echinacea daily in the diet were still 100% alive by 10 months. At approximately 13 months of age, mice consuming untreated diet had a 46% survival rate while those consuming Echinacea, were 74% alive at this time. Moreover, the key immune cells, acting as the first line of defense against developing neoplasms in mice and humans, i.e., natural killer (NK) cells, were significantly elevated in absolute number both in their bone marrow production site, as well as in the major organ to which they traffic and function, i.e., the spleen. The cells of the myeloid/granulocyte lineages remained steadfastly at control levels in both the bone marrow and spleen in Echinacea-consuming mice. Thus, it appears that regular intake of Echinacea may indeed be beneficial/prophylactic, if only for the reason that it maintains in an elevated state, NK cells, prime elements in immunosurveillance against spontaneous-developing tumors, a phenomenon which increases in frequency with progressive aging.
Echinacea purpurea and Melatonin Augment Natural-Killer Cells in Leukemic Mice and Prolong Life Span
Jun 2001, Vol. 7, No. 3: 241-251
Nathan L. Currier, BSc
Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Sandra C. Miller, PhD
Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Objective: We recently showed that daily dietary administration of Echinacea purpurea root extract to normal mice for as little as 1 week resulted in significant elevations of natural-killer (NK) cells (immune cells that are cytolytic to virus-containing cells and many tumor cells). Such boosting of this fundamental immune cell population suggests a prophylactic role for this herb in normal animals. Based on this evidence, our goal in the present work was to assess the role of dietary administration of this herbal extract to mice bearing leukemia, a type of tumor well known to be a target for NK cells.
Design: A commercially available root extract of E. purpurea, which we have already shown to be highly effective in mice, was administered daily for 50 days from the onset of leukemia (day 0). Control leukemic mice received no extract. Other leukemic mice received the NK-enhancing neurohormone, melatonin, administered precisely as above.
In all treatment and control categories, some mice were sampled at 9 days after tumor onset, others were sampled at 3 months, and still others were left to assess treatment effect on life span.
Results: At 9 days (intermediate stage leukemia; death beginning by day 17-18), E. purpurea–treated mice had a 2.5-fold increase in the absolute numbers of NK cells in their spleens. By 3 months after leukemia onset, E. purpurea–treated mice still had 2–3 times the normal numbers of NK cells in their spleens. No leukemic, untreated (control) mice remained alive at 3 months, hence the comparison with normal animals. Moreover, at 3 months post-tumor onset, all the major hemopoietic and immune cell lineages in their bone marrow birth site, were recorded at normal numbers, in E. purpurea-consuming, leukemic mice.
The survival advantage provided by administering these leukemic mice with E. purpurea was highly significant versus untreated, leukemic mice when analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival statistics.
Conclusion: The present study has provided the first systematic analysis, under controlled laboratory conditions, of the effect(s) of the botanical, E. purpurea, in vivo, in leukemic hosts. The profoundly positive effects of this herb in disease abatement observed in this study suggest the therapeutic potential of E. purpurea, at least with respect to leukemia, if not other tumors as well.
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