So far, there has been no remedy against the new coronavirus. Until now!
A new sensational study by the internationally renowned Spiez Laboratory has discovered the curative effect of the natural remedy Echinaforce from the Swiss producer A. Vogel AG.
The study was published in the «Virology Journal», a scientific journal from British publisher Biomed Central. The Swiss producer of natural remedies has thus made it into the higher spheres of anti-coronavirus drug research. Bye bye, placebo effect!
Proof in the petri dish
The active ingredient of the purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea) is thus one of very few substances worldwide that can demonstrably kill coronaviruses – even if its effect has so far only been proven within artificial tissue in a petri dish.
During tests, the Swiss researchers used human tissue consisting of cells from the upper respiratory passages. The living tissue from various donors was infected with pathogen viruses in petri dishes and then treated with Echinaforce at different stages. The results are groundbreaking!
What other diseases does Echinaforce help against?
The drug combats not only the new coronavirus Sars-CoV-2, which has so far claimed more than 900'000 lives and is still spreading, but also Sars-CoV-1, which caused a worldwide pandemic in 2002, as well as Mers-CoV, which raged mainly in the Middle East. The Spiez Laboratory has even proven that the substance works against the most common flu virus, HCoV-229E.
Exact effect remains a mystery
How Echinaforce works, remains something of a mystery. The study has at least shown that the antiviral effect only arises where there is direct contact between the active agent and the virus. As soon as any of the tested viruses came into contact with Echinaforce, they could not recover.
The study concludes that its broad antiviral effect means that Echinaforce has great potential as a long-term prophylaxis for healthcare workers. But it could also reduce the number of infections and deaths among the population at large.
No effective substance yet
The reason for examining this natural remedy, which is controversial in classical medicine, simply lies in the fact that no effective substance has so far been found to combat the coronavirus. The Spiez Laboratory writes: «We are interested in antiviral substances in general and cooperate with various partners to pursue our interest. To date, there is no specific prophylaxis or treatment for coronavirus infections. We have, therefore, examined Echinaforce, among others.»
The company A. Vogel from Roggwil TG, Switzerland, is also known for its extensive knowledge in the field of in-vitro testing. According to BLICK information, this knowledge was an important criterium for the Spiez Laboratory's choice of study partners. For its part, the institution in the canton of Bern has the necessary equipment for working with dangerous pathogens. «For legal reasons, we cannot comment on research results about authorised medicines. This would be illegal public advertising», Andreas Suter, CEO and Head of Research, told BLICK.
It is still unclear how the remedy, which is available at any drugstore, should be dosed against coronavirus. The study cannot answer this question, yet. «The data shows that Echinaforce can deactivate Sars-CoV-2 viruses in vitro. It remains to be clarified how physiological this is», writes the laboratory. In plain language, it therefore remains to be seen whether and to what extent Echinaforce is effective against the coronavirus in human beings.
Die Wirkung von Echinaforce gegen das Coronavirus ist bisher nur im Labor an Zellkulturen (in-vitro) erwiesen. Dies sagt noch nichts darüber aus, ob und in welchem Ausmass das Mittel gegen das Coronavirus beim Menschen nützt. Als «Corona-Medikament» ist es ausdrücklich nicht zugelassen, wie die Heilmittelbehörde Swissmedic betont – mehr Infos finden Sie unter diesem Link.
Die Wirkung von Echinaforce gegen das Coronavirus ist bisher nur im Labor an Zellkulturen (in-vitro) erwiesen. Dies sagt noch nichts darüber aus, ob und in welchem Ausmass das Mittel gegen das Coronavirus beim Menschen nützt. Als «Corona-Medikament» ist es ausdrücklich nicht zugelassen, wie die Heilmittelbehörde Swissmedic betont – mehr Infos finden Sie unter diesem Link.
The herbal remedy Echinaforce is produced by the company A. Vogel in Roggwil TG, Switzerland. The company extracts the active ingredient echinacea from the purple coneflower, a North American plant from the sunflower family. The remedy has been on sale at drugstores as an immune booster against colds for years and can be bought without a prescription. Its effect has been controversial, although a study in 2012 already showed that it is effective. In that study with a test population of 770 participants, Echinaforce lowered the risk of catching a cold by 26 percent. In a study conducted with 200 children, the remedy reduced the number of days where children suffering from colds had a fever by as much as 67 percent. Echinaforce is available as tablets, drops or a hot drink. Prices range between 18 and 50 Swiss francs, depending on the product and package size.
The herbal remedy Echinaforce is produced by the company A. Vogel in Roggwil TG, Switzerland. The company extracts the active ingredient echinacea from the purple coneflower, a North American plant from the sunflower family. The remedy has been on sale at drugstores as an immune booster against colds for years and can be bought without a prescription. Its effect has been controversial, although a study in 2012 already showed that it is effective. In that study with a test population of 770 participants, Echinaforce lowered the risk of catching a cold by 26 percent. In a study conducted with 200 children, the remedy reduced the number of days where children suffering from colds had a fever by as much as 67 percent. Echinaforce is available as tablets, drops or a hot drink. Prices range between 18 and 50 Swiss francs, depending on the product and package size.