Is echinacea safe for kids and teens?

What does NCCIH say about children?

NCCIH's page on echinacea says it is possibly safe for children to consume E. purpurea extract for short periods. It qualifies that statement right away: some children in a clinical trial developed rashes that may have been allergic reactions, and there is concern that allergic reactions could be severe in children. It advises anyone who is thinking of giving echinacea to a child to talk with the child's health care provider first.¹

In a trial in children, some developed rashes that may have been allergic reactions.¹

What did the trial in children find?

The best-known trial in children, which fits NCCIH's description, was published in JAMA in 2003. Children aged 2 to 11 took echinacea or placebo for up to three colds over four months, and parents recorded adverse events. The analysis covered 707 colds in 407 children. Overall, adverse events did not differ between groups, but rash occurred during 7.1% of colds treated with echinacea and 2.7% of those given placebo, a difference the authors reported as statistically significant, and they concluded that echinacea use was associated with an increased risk of rash.²

A 2014 Cochrane review of 24 trials in 4,631 participants found no significant difference between echinacea and placebo in dropouts or reported adverse effects, though prevention trials showed a trend toward more dropouts due to adverse events with echinacea. That review covered colds in general, not children separately.⁴

What do European regulators say about under 12 and teens?

The European Medicines Agency's monograph for pressed juice from the fresh flowering herb says use in children under 12 is not recommended, because data are insufficient, and that atopic patients, people prone to allergy, should consult their doctor before using echinacea because of a possible risk of severe hypersensitivity reactions. The monograph's dosing section starts at adolescence, it covers pressed juice, and it says nothing about teas or blends.³

Skin rashes occur, and allergic reactions are rare but can be severe. European regulators list rash, hives, itching and facial swelling, and rarely severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, especially in people prone to allergies.^1,3,5

We found no source that reports 12 and 13 year olds on their own, or that covers products combining echinacea with goldenseal.³

Who should ask their child's doctor first?

• A parent who wants to give echinacea to a child should ask the child's doctor, because NCCIH advises it and the evidence on safety is limited.¹
• A parent of a child with an allergy to daisy family plants such as ragweed, or with asthma, eczema or hay fever, should ask the doctor, because allergic reactions are the main concern.^1,3
• A parent of a child who takes any medicine should ask the pharmacist, because NCCIH says some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.¹
• A teen who wants to use echinacea can ask their own doctor or pharmacist, who can look at the species and plant parts on the label.

Questions people ask

Sources

1. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Echinacea. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. Last updated November 2024. Opened 2026-10-07.
2. Taylor JA, Weber W, Standish L, Quinn H, Goesling J, McGann M, Calabrese C. Efficacy and safety of echinacea in treating upper respiratory tract infections in children: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2003;290(21):2824-2830. Opened 2026-10-11.
3. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. European Union herbal monograph on Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, herba recens. EMA/HMPC/48704/2014 Corr. 1. 24 November 2015. Opened 2026-10-07.
4. Karsch-Völk M, Barrett B, Kiefer D, Bauer R, Ardjomand-Woelkart K, Linde K. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev (a systematic review of randomized trials). 2014;2014(2):CD000530. Opened 2026-10-11.
5. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements for Immune Function and Infectious Diseases: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated March 10, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.