(HealthDayNews) -- If your child starts getting cold symptoms, your first thought may be to him echinacea.
But don't run to the health food store just yet.
A study by researchers at the University of Washington and Bastyr University found that echinacea is not effective in young children. The researchers reported that use of echinacea from the onset of symptoms did not lessen the number of days the colds lasted or the severity of symptoms.
The researchers concluded that the "results do not support the use of echinacea for treatment of upper respiratory infections in children 2 to 11 years old." They also suggested further research to determine whether echinacea has any role in preventing colds.
