Posts: 83,570
10/15/09 7:33 P

Very good info, here. I wasn't familiar with the tea.

Pounds lost: 26.0

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Posts: 60
10/12/09 10:13 A

Thank you, Dani. You got me to thinking. I am hypothyroid so I did some investigating of the effects of echinacea on the thyroid. Actually, it was recommended by Andrew Weil, M.D. as well as garlic, elderberry and other natural remedies. The website gave a warning to anyone with thyroid disease using OTC cold and flu remedies. I never thought to check the labels so I went to my medicine cabinet. I took some Mucinex-D last week before going to bed and it made my eyes itch all night, however, the Mucinex-DM did not have that effect. According to the label (and the website), I should have never taken Mucinex-D with thyroid disease. I'm just "lucky" that I'm hypo and not hyper or the medicine could have raised my blood pressure to a dangerous level. It comes down to this: I can't have any cold medication that I have to ask for and show a driver's license to get. Thank you for your insight which led me to further investigation. I guess I'll have a cup of tea after all.

current weight: 181.6

190.6 177.95 165.3 152.65

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Posts: 88
10/12/09 8:27 A

I'm not a doctor but might help you think through this a bit so you can make a better decision.

First of all. I googled echinacea and found this page 1st: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/echinacea.html
It lists the medical conditions they don't know how echinecea affects, so they just recommend you obstain.

Do you have allergies to any plant in the daisy family? Are you taking any prescriptions medications? If you are, a simple call to the nurse at your doctor's office, asking if there is a problem could tamper your fears. Also, the pharmacist would know about any drug interactions.

I think the warning is there, because Echinacea hasn't been approved by the FDA and because there haven't been many trials conducted to see actually how it affects people of different circumstances.

If you are sick, the very best thing you can do naturally, is to take as much garlic as possible. Raw garlic is of course best, but you can boil it in chicken broth, you can slice it on a salad, you can crush it into any dinner...but lots and lots of garlic! http://www.garlic-central.com/antibiotic.html
and grapes: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/general/news/may3105resveratrol.html

When my family starts showing signs of sickness we down the garlic and grapes! We also drink echinacea tea without problems.

current weight: 131.8

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Posts: 60
10/11/09 10:07 P

Does anyone know anything about echinacea tea? I bought a "wellness" tea from Celestial Seasonings that contained echinacea. I know that it is also known as coneflower and that it is good for people with colds. I thought it was a harmless ingredient until I got home and saw the warning next to the nutritional facts. It starts out warning that the tea should only be taken by adults. Those who are on prescriptions, or are pregnant or nursing must consult their doctors. No one with an allergy to the daisy family can use it and can not be used longer than 6-8 weeks consecutively. It's to be taken only when needed and can not be taken by people with autoimmune diseases. Then, it says that it recommends using no more than 4 teabags a day. I've had the tea for a month and I'm afraid to drink it. I saw the words "wellness tea" and thought it would be a wonderful addition to my diet. Any thoughts???

current weight: 181.6

190.6 177.95 165.3 152.65

140