Is Echinacea Safe to Use Before Surgery?
All surgical patients should advise their doctor if they are using or have used nutritional and herbal supplements. This is especially true if echinacea is one of those supplements.(1)
Experts have theorized using echinacea for more than eight weeks may potentially suppress immunity. Immunosuppression may slow healing and increase the risk of infection after surgery. Based on this, anyone planning surgery should avoid taking echinacea long term.(1)
Conversely, experts warn against echinacea use prior to surgery even for those who require immunosuppression (i.e., those pending an organ transplant). Why? Because echinacea is known to stimulate the immune system.(1)
Other concerns that have been raised are echinacea's potential negative side effects on the liver and blood thinning qualities. These are important considerations for surgical patients, since anesthesia itself may increase these risks.(1)