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Echinacea is sold to boost the immune system and ward off colds. There is no evidence it helps people with cancer, and Memorial Sloan Kettering advises caution during chemotherapy because it may change how some cancer drugs work; one man on chemotherapy developed a dangerously low platelet count.
Echinacea preparations from several species are used to prevent and treat colds and as general immune stimulants, and products vary greatly in what they contain. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary reports that it is ineffective at preventing rhinovirus colds and mixed for shortening them, with some positive findings at higher doses. There are no trials of echinacea as a treatment or supportive therapy in cancer. MSK lists chemotherapy as a reason for caution: echinacea inhibits the drug-metabolising enzymes CYP3A4 and CYP2C8 in laboratory studies; in vitro work suggests it could lower exposure to prodrugs such as tamoxifen; and a man with non-small-cell lung cancer receiving cisplatin and etoposide with radiotherapy developed profound thrombocytopenia while taking it. In a study of people receiving docetaxel, echinacea at the recommended dose did not change docetaxel levels, so the interaction is drug-specific and uncertain rather than general. Allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis in people with allergies or asthma, and rare cases of hepatitis have been reported. MSK also notes that echinacea may oppose the effect of immunosuppressant drugs.
Alkamides, polysaccharides and caffeic acid derivatives stimulate innate immune cells in laboratory studies; effects in people are inconsistent.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Echinacea" OR ABSTRACT:"Echinacea" OR TITLE:"Echinacea purpurea" OR ABSTRACT:"Echinacea purpurea" OR TITLE:"Echinacea angustifolia" OR ABSTRACT:"Echinacea angustifolia" OR TITLE:"Purple coneflower" OR ABSTRACT:"Purple coneflower") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Echinacea, not a curated reading list.
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Shares Tamoxifen, Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Tamoxifen, Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Tamoxifen, Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
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