Biological Name:
Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea Pallida L.
Other Names:
Narrow-leaved purple coneflower, Sampson root, Black Sampson, Red sunflower, Echinacea Sacred Plant (by Native Americans), Purple coneflower
Parts commonly Used:
roots and leaves
Properties:
Alterative, antiseptic, tonic, depurative, maturating, febrifuge and is a general stimulant to the immune system
Common uses:
Canker sores (mouth ulcers)
Common cold/sore throat
Crohn's disease
Gingivitis (periodontal disease)
Immune function
Influenza (flu)
Recurrent ear infection
Yeast infection
Active Compounds:
Echinacea purpurea contains iron, iodine, copper, potassium, sulphur, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C. Echinacea purpurea also contains polysaccharides, resembling bacteria, which motivate the healthy white blood cells attack bacterial invaders. Echinacea purpurea offers the body an overall feeling of well being, and for this reason studies of Echinacea continue today.
Description of Plant:
Echinacea is a perennial wildflower native to North America. While it continues to grow and is harvested from the wild, the majority of that used for herbal supplements is from cultivated plants.
The root or aboveground part of the plant during the flowering growth phase is used medicinally.
Coneflower gets its common name from the arrangement of a conical disk made up of numerous purple, tubular florets that resemble a pinecone.
Where Found:
E. angustifolia is found in prairies. Texas, western Oklahoma, western Kansas, Nebraska, west to east Colorado, eastern Montans, North Dakota, Man. and Sask. Canada.
E. Pallida is found in the prairies and glades of Arkansas to Wisconsin, Minnesota, eastern Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.
E. Purpurea is found in open woods, thickets; cultivated in gardens. -Michigan, Ohio to Louisiana, eastern Texas, Oklahoma and much of the Southwest.
All three varieties are equal in their effects, but the Angustifolia has longer tap root than the others (6-20 in.) and Purpurea has oval coarsely toothed leaves, flatter (less cone-shaped) disk, and orange-tipped bristles on the flower heads.
The distinctive daisy-like flower features 12 to 20 large, spreading rays ranging from white to purplish pink to dull-purple; they can be up to 6-inches across.
You can easily grow or harvest your own Echinacea, it is a very common garden flower, especially in the Midwest. The sturdy, bristly stems are 2-5 ft tall and bear hairy dark green leaves. Thrives in full sun throughout the year, and flowering time is June to October. The plant needs full sun and deep, light loamy soil and does best with 2 or 3 applications of balanced fertilizer during the growing season; but it will grow in poor soil. Can be heat tolerant and drought resistant. It's a good idea to mark the location of seedlings the first few years, since the plant dies back to the ground in the winter. Set out in the spring, spaced 1-1/2 ft apart. Plants from seed will take 2-3 years to flower.
For medicinal purposes, you will need to wait three years before you use the root. You can use the leaves and flowers sooner, but the root is the most potent part of the plant.
What Makes It Work?
Echinacea works with the body's own defense mechanisms. Echinacea contains a substance known as polysaccharide. In some studies, this has been known to destroy tumor cells. Research is currently being conducted on Echinacea to determine its use as an immune booster, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal agent.
The polysaccharides called Echinacins, bind to cells and prevent pathogens from invading. By protecting cells and preventing their breakdown, they fight the spread of pathogens and reduce inflammation.
Echinacin also improves immune function, this happens by recognizing an invading pathogen, our native interferon production - .an important part of the body's response to viral infections such as colds and flu. The immune cells takeover the pathogen before it can develop into something that will make you ill.
The natural antibiotics in echinacea seem to neutralize the production of hyaluronidase, an enzyme secreted by germs that enables them to penetrate body tissue and cause infections. Thus, Echinacea helps prevent germs from invading body cells, assists healing, and increases the effectiveness of white blood cells. Echinacea has been found to help reduce the inflammation of arthritus. Many herbalists use Echinacea as a blood purifier. Echinacea also seems to stimulate the flow of saliva and aid in the digestion of starches.
Historical Notes:
In the past the root was used much like an antibiotic.
Echinacea was a traditional remedy of the Native American Indians in the Great Plains, where it grows wild. The Cheyenne, Comanche, and other tribes used it for many ailments, including toothaches, sore throats, tonsillitis, coughs, and blood and lymphatic diseases.
Traditionally, Echinacea was used to help heal insect bites, diphtheria, carbuncles, acne, eczema, boils, peritonitis, typhoid, blood poisoning, bites and stings of poisonous insects or snakes, erysipelas, and diseases such as tuberculosis or syphilic conditions that affect the body's immune system; in addition to gangrenous conditions, diphtheria, tonsillitis, sores, infections and wounds.
A lay doctor, H. C. F. Meyer, "re-discovered" Echinacea in the 1870s, and within 20 years it became the most popular herb of the era. Dr. Meyer was so confident in his claims that he offered to "allow himself to be bitten by several rattlesnakes to prove the truth of his claims. Meyer claimed to know of over 600 cases in which his remedy had not failed to cure rattlesnake bites." (Echinacea: Nature's Immune Enhancer, Stephen Foster, 1991)
It was formally introduced into US. medical practice in 1887, but Modern scientific research didn’t start until the 1930s in Germany. Since it has been in continuous use for treating arthritis (both chronic and acute), certain cancers, and a variety of viral diseases. And it has been used throughout Europe in many combinations for basic immune system enhancement for most of the last century.
Current Treatments:
Common Cold: Echinacea is very popular for the treatment of common cold. Echinacea seems to work well in conjunction with vitamin C to ward off colds . It has been found effective in getting people back to health quickly as well as delaying getting other infections. Patients with weakened immune system have been found to be the most benefited from this herb.
Snake Bite: Echinacea had been used by American Indians as a remedy for snakebites. Echinacea is believed to inhibit hyaluronidase, a component of snake venom.
Wound Healing: Echinacea was found effective for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions such as abscesses, foliculitis, wounds of all kinds, eczema, burns, herpes, and varicose ulcers of the leg.
Arthritis: Echinacea's anti-inflammatory activity helps alleviate rheumatoid arthritis.
Cancer: Echinacea is used to offset the depression of white cells during radiation and chemotherapy for cancer patients. Many clinical tests have shown that Echinacea stabilized the white blood cells in patients undergoing cancer treatment, whereas, the patients not receiving Echinacea had shown a continued decline in the white blood cells.
AIDS: Echinacea had been used to treat infections for many things., now there are some anecdotal reports of using Echinacea for, more research needs to be done in that area before any conclusions can be reached by the scientific community.
Infections: Echinacea enhances the body's immune system. It has been shown effective for treating conditions such as influenza, colds, upper respiratory tract infections, urogenital infections, and other infectious conditions.
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