Echinacea Tablets (Echinaforce) x42

What is Echinaforce used for?

A traditional remedy used to  help relieve symptoms from Cold, Flu and Upper respiratory tract infections. It supports the body's immune system and helps maintain the body's resistance. 

What is Echinacea?

Echinacea is a plant native to America but is now cultivated extensively in Europe. Echinaforce is cultivated at farms in Switzerland and blended to make the Echinaforce tablets. 

Up to 10 species of Echinacea have been identified, but only three (E. purpurea, E. angustifolia and E. pallida) are used medicinally. Echinacea purpurea is considered to be the one that has been most widely researched and this is the species we use.

Echinaforce is produced using extracts of freshly harvested, organically grown Echinacea purpurea herb and root, picked fresh and used within 24 hours of harvest. The benefit of using freshly harvested herbs has been demonstrated in research - extracts produced from fresh plants contain almost 3 times as many active substances compared with those obtained from equivalent amounts of dried herb.

Also available:

Echinacea Drops (Echinaforce) 50ml

Dosage of Echinaforce® tablets:
Adults, elderly, and children over 12 years: Two tablets, 2 to 3 times daily.

Ingredients:

1 tablet contains 380 mg of extract (as dry and extract) from fresh Echinacea purpurea herb and 20 mg of extract (as dry extract) from fresh Echinacea purpurea root. Extraction solvent: Ethanol 65% v/v. This product contains lactose. See patient information leafelt for further information. 

Do not use this product:

• If you are allergic to Echinacea or plants of the daisy (Asteraceae/ Compositae) family.
• Echinacea is a member of the daisy family.
• Any of the other ingredients in this product
• If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to products containing lactose. This product contains lactose.
• If you have a tendency to allergies such as hives, allergic eczema or asthma consult your doctor before use. This product may not be suitable for you.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• If you suffer from TB (the infection tuberculosis) Do's & Don'ts Sarcoidosis (a connective tissue disease disorder which causes the formation of clumps of cells mainly in the lymph nodes, lungs and liver)
• An autoimmune disease such as collagenoses (inflammation of the connective tissue) or multiple sclerosis HIV, AIDS or any other condition which decreases your resistance to infection
• A disorder which affects your white blood cells such as agranulocytosis (low white blood cell count due to bone marrow disorders) or leukemia (blood cell cancer) If you are having treatment to reduce the response of your immune system (immunosuppression) e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy.
• If you are taking ciclosporin or methotrexate, or any other immunosuppressant medicine. If you have had an organ or bone marrow transplant.

Like all medicines, this product can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Allergic reactions:

If you already suffer from allergies you may be more likely to get them.

Allergic reactions which may occur are:

• Skin rash Red, itchy skin (hives)
• Swelling of the skin due to fluid (angioedema) or swelling of the face (Quincke's oedema)
• Blistering of the skin and mucous membranes (Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
• Difficulty in breathing (bronchospasm with obstruction)
• Asthma or anaphylactic shock (a life-threatening allergic reaction) Stop taking this product immediately if any of these occur. Seek medical advice and take this leaflet with you.

There have been isolated reports suggesting an association between Echinacea products and autoimmune diseases such as:

• Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord (disseminated encephalitis)
• Painful lumps on the shins (erythema nodosum) Low blood platelet count (immunothrombocytopenia)
• Destruction of blood cells by antibodies (Evans Syndrome)
• Dryness in the mouth and eyes with renal tubular dysfunction (Sjögren Syndrome)
• A decrease in the number of white blood cells (leucopenia) may occur in long-term use (more than 8 weeks).

The frequency is not known.

This means it is not known how often these reactions occur as there has not been enough reports to allow this information to be calculated. If you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist