Providing evidence for use of Echinacea supplements in Hajj pilgrims for management of respiratory tract infections

• Hajj pilgrims are highly susceptible to respiratory tract infections that can negatively affect huge human and financial resources in involved countries.
• Echinacea products have shown promising results in both prevention and treatment of respiratory tract infections especially in high risk populations and would be potentially useful in Hajj pilgrims and other susceptible travelers.

ObjectiveTo evaluate potential applicability of Echinacea use for management of respiratory tract infections in Hajj travelers.MethodThe PubMed database was explored with Mesh terms “Echinacea” and “Respiratory Tract Infections”.ResultsA hundred journal articles were yielded but only 66 most relevant ones used for the review.ConclusionThere is a considerable amount of evidence that shows effectiveness of Echinacea products in prevention and treatment of respiratory tract infections in this setting. Although there are some controversial findings, utilization of standardized products with adequate dose or combinations with other immune-stimulants in controlled and well-designed trials will be highly encouraging.