An extract of Pelargonium sidoides significantly reduces the severity of symptoms and shortens the duration of the common cold. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Efficacy and Tolerability of High-dose Pelargonium Extract in Patients With the Common Cold.
Altern Ther Health Med. 2017 Oct 21. Epub 2017 Oct 21. PMID: 29055287
David S Riley
Context• The common cold (CC) is usually caused by a viral infection. Antibiotics are often prescribed unnecessarily for it, although no evidence exists for any benefit in the CC. Effective alternatives are needed. Objective • The study intended to evaluate the efficacy of 7630, a proprietary extract of Pelargonium sidoides, the active ingredient in umckaloabo, compared with a placebo for the treatment of the CC. Design • This was a prospective, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial (RCT), with an adaptive group-sequential design with 2 parts, both of which were 2-arm trials. The first used a standard dose (SD) of 3 × 30 drops per day of the active medication and the second used a high dose (HD) of 3 × 60 drops per day of the active medication, against 3 × 30 drops per day and 3 × 60 drops per day of a placebo, respectively. Setting • The study took place in 8 outpatient departments affiliated with hospitals. Participants • For the entire study, 207 adults with predefined cold symptoms that had been present for 24 to 48 h prior were included in the study, with 103 participating in the SD part and 104 participating in the HD part. Intervention • In the HD part, as covered in this article, the intervention group received treatment with 3 × 60 drops per day of the active medication and the control group received a placebo (control group), for a maximum period of 10 d. Outcome Measures • The primary outcome measure was the sum of differences in the cold intensity score (CIS) from day 1 to day 3 and from day 1 to day 5, defined as the sum of the symptom intensity differences (SSID). The criteria for the secondary outcome, efficacy, were (1) diverse response criteria according to the total CIS; (2) changes in individual CIS symptoms; (3) changes in further cold-relevant symptoms; (4) ability to work; (5) activity level; (6) general well-being; (7) health-related quality of life-the EuroQol questionnaire with 5 dimensions (EQ-5D), including the visual analogue scale EQ-VAS; (8) time until onset of treatment effect; (9) treatment outcome; and (10) satisfaction with treatment. Results • From baseline to day 5, the mean CIS decreased by 11.2 ± 4.8 points for the 7630 group and 6.3 ± 4.7 points for the control group. The mean SSID was 16.0 ± 7.6 points for the control group (P<.0001). After 10 d, 90.4% of the group receiving the active medication and 21.2% of the control group were clinically cured (P<.0001). In the treatment group, participants' inability to work was significantly lower, with a mean duration of 6.4± 1.6 d vs 8.3 ± 2.1 d for the control group (P<.0001), and treatment outcome-complete recovery or major improvement-was significantly better at day 5 for the active treatment group compared with the control group (P<.0001). Mild-to-moderate adverse events-all nonserious-occurred in 15.4% of those receiving active treatment vs in 5.8% for the control group. Conclusions• The active medication is an effective, well tolerated, and safe treatment for the CC. It significantly reduces the severity of symptoms and shortens the duration of the disease.