Echinacea is a herbal preparation made from the plant, Echinacea augustifolia, The plant and its extracts have been used to promote wound healing, and internally to stimulate the immune system. Recent studies have indicated that the plant does possess pharmacologic activity that supports these traditional uses.
Dr Greg Harrison, DVM, Lake Worth, Florida, has found that Echinacea can also stimulate the immune system in birds. He has seen a clinical response in sick birds who have evidence of an infection, in birds following antibiotic therapy, birds with chronic pin feathers, liver problems, pox lesions, allergic dermatiits and for any clinical sign suggesting the need for immune stimulation.
Echinacea is available in Health Food stores and comes as an extract as well as in tablet and capsule form. The doses in humans are not well-defined. Toxicity studies in animals indicate that Echinacea is essentially devoid of toxic effects.
Dr Harrison mixes 3 mL of Echinacea extract with 7 mL of lactulose (available without a prescription for a Pharmacy). Of this mixture, he gives one drop twice a day to a bird the size of a budgie.
The recommended dose of Echinacea for a bird is 2.5 drops/kg or 5 drops per cup of drinking water.
One study of Echinacea in humans, indicated that a single dose stimulated the immune response, but that repeated daily doses suppressed the immune response. These results are too preliminary to draw any conclusions.
Based on theis one study, it would be advisable to use Echinacea for short-term use only at this time.
Dr. Jean Smith, DVM, Davis, California, has also used Echinacea to treat sick birds. In her experience, herbal treatment is not as rapidly as effective as antibiotics which may produce improvement in 2-3 days as compared to 5-7 days with herbal remedies. She warns that critically ill birds require antibiotics and that herbal remedies such as Echinacea should not be used alone initially. She recommends continuing Echinacea for 14-21 days.
Bird owners are reminded that an avian veterinarian should be consulted if their birds show any signs of illness. Echinacea may be a useful adjunct to conventional therapy and my be considerd following antibiotic therapy to stimulate the bird's immune system.
Gillian Willis
Vancouver, BC
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