This note is in response to Linda's planned formulation to include echinacea. This sounds like a good idea to me (as long as the animal doesn't receive the echinacea every day of his/her life. Here is some information I had saved about echinacea: Echinacea purpurea - Increases the "non-specific" activity of the immune system (stimulates the overall activity of the cells responsible for fighting all kinds of infection. Unlike antibiotics, which are directly lethal to bacteria, echinacea makes our own immune cells more efficient in attacking bacteria, viruses and abnormal cells, including cancer cells.) - Over 500 scientific studies have documented the chemistry, pharmacology,and clinical applications of echinacea. - The most consistently proven effect of echinacea is in stimulating phagocytosis, that is encouraging white blood cells and lymphocytes to attack invading organisms. - increases the number and activity of immune system cells, including anti-tumor cells: - promotes T-cell activation; - stimulates new tissue growth for wound healing; - reduces inflammation in arthritis and inflammatory skin conditions; - Mild antibiotic action: bacteriostatic, anti-viral, anti-fungal. - inhibits the bacterial enzyme hyaluronidase, to help prevent bacterial access to healthy cells. Source: http://www.herbs.org/greenpapers/echinacea.html Other studies of note: Clinical Study: an extract of echinacea showed an increase of 50%-120% in immune function over a 5 day period (Jurcic, et al. 1989). Clinical Study: an extract of echinacea significantly increased the resistance to flu and reduced the symptoms of lymph gland swelling, inflamed nasal passages and headache (Braunig, et al. 1992). Clinical Study: Of 4500 patients with inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis, 85% were cured with topical applications of echinacea salve (Wacker & Hilbig, 1978). Recommended Reading Echinacea, Nature's Immune Enhancer by Stephen Foster. Healing Arts Press,1991. Echinacea, the Immune Herb by Christopher Hobbs. Botanica Press, 1990. Botanical Influences on Illness by Melvyn Werbach and Michael Murray. Third Line Press, 1994. See chapters on Cancer, Candidiasis, Immunodepression, Infection, Wound Healing. Herbal Medicine by Rudolf Weiss. AB Arcanum, 1988. Selected References British Herbal Pharmacopeia, 1992. Kommission E Monographs: Echinacea. Kooperation Phytopharmaka, , Germany. Jurcic, et al. Zeitschrift fur Phytotherapie 10 (2), 1989. Braunig, et al. Zeitschrift fur Phytotherapie 13: 7-13, 1992. Wagner and Proksch 1985 In: Economic and Medicinal Plant Research, Academic Press, Orlando, p.113. Wacker & Hilbig. Planta Medica 33(1): 89-102, 1978. Chone & Mandakis. Deutsch Med. Wschr. 27: p. 1406 Luettig, et al. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 81(9): 669-75, 1989. Stimpel, et al. Infect. Immun. 46, 845, 1984; Steinmuller, et al. Int. J. Immunopharmac., Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 605-614, 1993. [Posted in FML issue 3089]