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While the jury is still out on whether the popular
supplement echinacea fights the common cold, it does seem the innocent-sounding
herb can pack drug-like side effects.
A 41-year-old man realized this while using echinacea
for his flu-like symptoms, according to Canadian researchers.
Tender nodules formed under the skin of the man's
legs 4 to 5 days after taking the herb. And although the bumps disappeared
after several weeks, the man experienced three more episodes of the condition,
called erythema nodosum, before being taken off the herb.
Erythema nodosum is a condition that affects the
area beneath the skin and causes tender, bruise-like sores.
When the man stoped taking his echinacea, the episodes
of erythema nodosum stopped completely, even when he was followed over
a one year period.
Although the use of alternative medicines such as
echinacea and other herbs has grown over the past decade, this case study
demonstrates that many herbal remedies
still generate side effects, just as traditional medical treatments do.
Journal of the American
Academy of Dermatology February 2001;44:298-299
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