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Not all echinacea products are alike. The native North American wildflower is known for its medicinal benefits. Immune-stimulating compounds, including caffeic acid derivatives, polysaccharides, glycoproteins and alkylamides, are all produced in its roots. Unlike antibiotics that kill bacteria directly, echinacea compounds activate white blood cells and arm the immune system to stop viral invaders. With botanicals, however, consistent active potency and standardized extraction of the medicinal compounds are key to optimal effectiveness.
Jamieson FluShield is a natural immuno-boosting formula made with the root extract of Echinacea angustifolia. The active herbal ingredient, LPx3, is derived from selectively bred and harvested E. angustifolia plants, chosen for their unique potency. The triple standardization extraction process preserves the vital active ingredients and makes this echinacea different from all others.
Identified for the first time in the plant roots, LPx3 is chemically unique, insofar as its biochemical echinocoside activity and high-molecular–weight polysaccharides provide pharmacological effects to fight off flu, colds and upper-respiratory infections. Equally important, LPx3 is free of isobutylamides, a compound found in other echinacea products that can reduce immunity.
A 2007 study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found that echinacea plays an important part in boosting immunity to fight colds and flu. A research team from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in Storrs, conducted a meta-analysis of 14 randomized, placebo-controlled, peer-reviewed echinacea studies to evaluate the herb’s impact on the incidence and duration of the common cold in 1,600 patients. Their analysis showed that echinacea reduces the odds of catching the common cold by 58% and can reduce the duration of colds by about a day and a half.
Independent laboratory testing of LPx3 has demonstrated that its direct action on showed T-cells is far superior to standard echinacea formulas. In one study, immuno-competent mice infected with the Leishmania major parasite showed a 25 percent reduction in infection when treated with LPx3. Similarly LPx3 reduced mortality by 30 percent in mice infected with Candida albicans and 40 percent among mice infected with cyclosporin A2. These results were not seen with other echinacea formulas.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 7, Pages 473 - 480, July 2007.
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