A most encouraging study showed that the herbal throat spray a mixture of echinacea and sage extracts performed as well as its drugs-based counterpart.
Sore throats are among the most common complaints encountered in general medical practice and generally occur in conjunction with upper respiratory tract infections. Viral infections account for at least 65% of all sore throats, so the use of antibiotics only plays a minor part in the treatment of sore throats.
Each patient was given a patient diary. He or she had to rate their sore throat symptoms (difficulty swallowing, salivation, redness and fever) every morning before administering the first dose of treatment, at midday and in the evening.
The combined response rates showed that the echinacea and sage based throat spray was as good as the pharmaceutical spray for the resolution of symptoms of sore throat. There were no serious or otherwise significant adverse events in either group, and 94% of the Echinacea group said they’d use the product again.
Very gratifying to have clinical research such as this to confirm the benefits of a proven herbal product.
*Reference: Schapowal A, Berger D, Klein P, Suter A. Echinacea/sage or chlorhexidine/lidocaine for treating acute sore throats: a randomized double-blind trial. Europ J Med Res.2009;14(9):406-412.