Immune system effects of echinacea, ginseng, and astragalus: a review.
Immune system effects of echinacea, ginseng, and astragalus: a review.
复制标题
DOI：
10.1177/1534735403256419
复制
发表时间：
2003-09-01
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Mead, Mark N
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Block, Keith I;Mead, Mark N
传统草药提供了几种通过影响免疫系统成分来增强身体对疾病的抵抗力的疗法。这篇评论文章探讨了3种流行的草药免疫兴奋剂，往往是感兴趣的癌症患者。紫锥菊，原产于北美，被广泛用于预防感冒或提供感冒的早期治疗。临床前研究为紫锥菊通过免疫机制起作用的想法提供了生物学上的合理性。已经对紫锥菊制剂进行了大量的临床试验：当症状变得明显时，提取物似乎可以缩短感冒和其他上呼吸道感染（URI）的持续时间和严重程度。然而，长期使用紫锥菊作为预防药物的试验并没有显示出积极的结果。人参作为抗疲劳剂已经有了一些深入的研究，但迄今为止对免疫机制的研究还没有进行。临床前证据显示了一些免疫刺激活性。已经有几个临床试验在各种不同的疾病。黄芪是研究得最少的药物。有一些临床前试验显示了有趣的免疫活性。所讨论的草药似乎具有令人满意的安全性。癌症患者可能希望使用这些植物来抑制肿瘤生长或增强对感染的抵抗力。然而，被动免疫疗法与草药，没有机制暴露肿瘤抗原，是不可能有效地抑制肿瘤生长。虽然这些草药的安全边际很大，但需要更多的研究来证明使用草药提高对感染的抵抗力的明确价值。
Traditional herbal medicine provides several remedies for strengthening the body's resistance to illness through effects on immune system components. This review article examines 3 popular herbal immune stimulants that are often of interest to cancer patients. Echinacea, a native of North America, is widely used to prevent, or provide early treatment for, colds. Preclinical studies lend biological plausibility to the idea that echinacea works through immune mechanisms. Numerous clinical trials have been carried out on echinacea preparations: it appears that the extracts shorten the duration and severity of colds and other upper respiratory infections (URIs) when given as soon as symptoms become evident. However, trials of long-term use of echinacea as a preventive have not shown positive results. Ginseng has been studied in some depth as an antifatigue agent, but studies of immune mechanisms have not proceeded so far. Preclinical evidence shows some immune-stimulating activity. There have been several clinical trials in a variety of different diseases. Astragalus is the least-studied agent. There are some preclinical trials that show intriguing immune activity. The herbs discussed appear to have satisfactory safety profiles. Cancer patients may wish to use these botanicals to inhibit tumor growth or to boost resistance to infections. However, passive immunotherapy with herbs, with no mechanism to expose tumor antigens, is unlikely to be effective in inhibiting tumor growth. Although the margin of safety for these herbs is large, more research is needed to demonstrate the clear value of using herbs to improve resistance to infections.