Is it safe or wise to take echinacea with or without goldenseal when suffering from the after effects of a nasty virus which has caused an asthma type lung infection? A steroid inhaler is being used. It started to respond to anti-biotics but then the course ran out and the inhaler was substituted. The cough can still be quite bad and troublesome at times although on the whole it is better and there is no difficulty breathing. Are there any other supplements which might be of use? Garlic and Zinc are currently being used. Thankyou for your help.

OK - here's the thing. Echinacea is a natural anti-biotic and for some folks (me included) it will clear up a sinus infection. Especially if you've taken one course of antiobiotics and don't want to take another. The thing to be wary of IS Goldenseal. If you have any allergies to plants and/or grass, and this will cause asthma, then you very well may be allergic to Goldenseal. And taking it will only make matters worse. Although Echinacea is also from a plant it has not shown the high rate of allergic reactions as Goldenseal.

Oh, and as info, Asthma does not cause lung infections - lung infections cause Asthma. Asthma is the narrowing of the bronchi in the lungs due to inflammation from an irritant or brought about by stress.

People with asthma when they have a cold tend to get bronchitis more often than people with out asthma. I know from experience. If you don't get on a anitbiotic when you have bronchitis it could lead to pneumonia. I deal with this all winter. It is the pits. My son gets a cold I get it from him, his goes away and mine lingers on and on. Now my younger son who is 3 he has a cough usually for a while after a cold and they think he may have asthma. I did try the Echinacea and it seemed to help I think. Let me now if it does. I dread winter coming because of the colds.