Tag Archive for: echinacea

DNA Barcoding in Plants

I like to know how things work, and researching DNA barcoding in plants opened up a whole new world I was only partly familiar with. DNA barcoding is a method that examines regions on DNA to categorize animals, insects, plants, and just about everything else on this planet that has DNA.

I first learned about using DNA to identify organisms when I wrote the section on the microbiome in Real-Life Detox. Using specific regions of the DNA strand, scientists were able to identify more than 5 . . .

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The Big Chill: Do You Need a Flu Shot?

In this final installment of The Big Chill, I’m going to take a look at flu shots: should you get one or not? Before I do that, a word about echinacea.
Echinacea
Many readers have read that echinacea shouldn’t be used long term or used at all if you have an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. The problem is that there are no studies to support either position and no studies to suggest it’s harmful, either. In that situation, the approach is always to proceed with caution until we know more. The only problem with waiting . . .

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The Big Chill: Immune-Boosting Supplements

Getting ready for cold and flu season, let’s turn to dietary supplements that may help keep your immune system strong. Dozens of supplements are promoted to strengthen the immune system, but let’s stick to what I know works based on the research and my experience: echinacea, garlic, and vitamin C.

Make sure you read this first before you go to the amounts of each supplement to take below because in this case, close enough is. Don’t obsess about the difference between 200 mg or 250 mg, and if I say 300 mg three times a day, don . . .

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