Ive been taking echinacea for 20+yrs, particularly when I'm run down and early signs of a respiratory infection like a scratchy throat surface. One eyedropper 4-5x/day just wipes it out every time. If taken after the onset of soreness I believe it to help recovery speed although difficult to verify accurately since illness severity varies. Gaia makes an excellent product with consistently potent roots combined in an appropriate herb/alcohol ratio, and you just can't beat iHerb's price for 2oz. It's always been my immune system secret weapon and very likely always will be; far superior to OTC and prescription cold meds IMO.