Summary of Clinical Studies into Efficacy of Pelargonium sidoides extract EPs 7630 The efficacy of the Pelargonium sidoides extract against a number of bacterial and viral infections has been well researched. This extract has been the subject of over 20 clinical studies involving more than 9,000 patients, including children as young as one year (Brown, 2009). It has been shown to safely and effectively treat acute upper respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis, tonsillopharyngitis, sinusitis and the common cold. The following is a summary of some of the clinical data available:

Tonsillitis

Professor V.V. Bereznoy MD, treated over 140 children with bacterial tonsillitis in a placebo controlled trial in Kiev in 2003. His treated approximately half the children with Eps 7630 (manufactured by Schwabe Pharmaceuticals) and the remainder with a placebo. The children took 3ml of the extract per day for 6 days. Researchers in this study monitored pain, difficulty swallowing, salivation, redness, fever and headache, using a ‘tonsillitis severity score’. Bereznoy’s study confirmed the superiority of Pelargonium sidoides extract compared to the placebo. The study demonstrated the ability of Pelargonium sidoides extract to reduce the severity of all five symptoms, shortened the duration of the illness and protected patients from complications. Rapid recovery was observed in three quarters of the patients treated with Pelargonium sidoides extract and a third of those treated with the placebo.

Bereznoy (2003) points out that more than half of the Pelargonium sidoides extract group were able to get out of bad after two days of treatment. In the placebo group, however, more than half the patients were either still in bed on day 4 or had abandoned the study because of a lack of efficacy. This reduction in bed rest of 48 hours under Pelargonium sidoides extract, compared with the placebo, shows the benefit of this treatment. Indeed, it is more than double the reported benefit of antibiotic treatment at 16 hours (Del Mar, 2001). Six days after beginning treatment, 80% of the Pelargonium sidoides extract group were back at school, whereas only 20% of the placebo group were able to resume school (Bereznoy et al, 2003).

Bronchitis

Matthys et al, (2003) studied the efficacy of Pelargonium sidoides extract in adults with acute bronchitis. The group of researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on over 450 patients. This study found that Pelargonium sidoides extract was superior in efficacy compared to placebo in the treatment of adults with acute bronchitis. Treatment with Pelargonium sidoides extract clearly reduced the severity of symptoms, duration of illness and shortened the time taken off work by nearly 2 days (Matthys et al, 2003). Further observational studies by Haidvogl and Heger (2007) examined the effect of Pelargonium sidoides extract on over 740 children with acute bronchitis. The researchers monitored treatment with the herbal extract for up to 14 days. Five ‘bronchitis specific symptoms’ were summed up to give an overall measure of disease severity. Haidvogl and Heger concluded that Pelargonium sidoides extract is a safe and effective treatment for acute bronchitis. In addition, they note that in 88.3% of cases, the responsible physician rated the treatment as successful. Adverse events were minor and transitory Sinusitis

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 103 adult patients with acute sinusitis was conducted by Bachert et al at 11 clinics, in Kiev, in 2009. The patients were studied for 21 days and assessed on 6 symptoms of sinusitis including headache, nasal obstruction and discharge. Bachert et al (2009) report that by day 7, 63% of the Pelargonium sidoides extract group were back to work compared with 37% in the placebo group. By day 21, sinus x-rays were normal in more than 90% of the Pelargonium sidoides extract group compared with 10% for the placebo group. The researchers highlighted “improvements shown in the patients’ health-related quality of life, activity level and general well-being”, they further observed a quicker return to work. Bachert et al (2009) conclude that “Pelargonium sidoides extract should be considered as a possible first line treatment even in patients suffering from an acute rhinosinusitis of presumably bacterial origin”.

Common Cold

Lizogub, Riley and Herger (2009) examined the efficacy of Pelargonium sidoides extract on patients with the common cold, one of the most prevalent illness in the world. The study compared Pelargonium sidoides extract to a placebo over 10 days. Over 100 patients were tracked according to their cold symptoms including; nasal discharge, sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, hoarseness, cough, headache, muscle aches, and fever. Lizogub, Riley and Herger (2009) report that Pelargonium sidoides extract represents an effective treatment of the common cold. After 10 days, 78.8% of the Pelargonium sidoides extract group was clinically cured compared with 31.4% in the placebo group. The Pelargonium sidoides extract group returned to work on average of 2 days earlier than the placebo group.

In conclusion, clinical trials have shown that P. sidoides extract is an effective treatment for a number of upper respiratory tract infections. Kolodziej (2011) points to the reasons for its therapeutic effects; antibacterial activity, antiviral activity