I noticed in this month's Road Bike Action a full-page color ad for an oral supplement that is "proven" to increase one's epo level. It seemed interesting so I looked up the original article.

It turns out that high-dose echinacea (8g/day) has been shown to increase epo levels in the short term (a couple weeks) in athletes but actually not in the long term...and more importantly the study showed NO CHANGE in Hemoglobin/Hematocrit (i.e. red cell volume)....and it's the red cell mass that determines your VO2MAX.

Therefore I am inclined to conclude this product is not effective.

Anyone tried it or have other impressions?