EchinaceaPurpurea01

Note: These plants can be dangerous if improperly used. The author, and/or ernestartist.org assumes no liability for experimentation of use.

Ernestartist.org assumes no liability for experimental use of medicinal plants, food plants or herbal remedies.

Named Echinacea by Linnaeus, and Rudbeckia, after Rudbeck, father and son, who were his predecessors at Upsala.
The flowers are a rich purple and the florets are seated round a high cone; seeds, four-sided achenes. Root tapering, cylindrical, entire, slightly spiral, longitudinally furrowed; fracture short, fibrous; bark thin; wood, thick, in alternate porous, yellowish and black transverse wedges, and the rhizome has a circular pith. It has a faint aromatic smell, with a sweetish taste, leaving a tingling sensation in the mouth not unlike Aconitum napellus, but without its lasting numbing effect.

Echinacea is not a cure for anything, but a preventative - it is a system booster that may help the body's natural resistance to infections during early stages. The purple petals have been used to color salads, but offer little food value.

Oil and resin both in wood and bark and masses of inulin, inuloid, sucrose, vulose, betaine, two phytosterols and fatty acids, oleic, cerotic, linolic and palmatic.

Echinacea increases bodily resistance to infection and is used for boils, erysipelas, septicaemia, cancer, syphilis and other impurities of the blood, its action being antiseptic. It has also useful properties as a strong alterative and aphrodisiac. As an injection, the extract has been used for hemorrhoids and a tincture of the fresh root has been found beneficial in diphtheria and putrid fevers.

Echinacea was also used by American Indians for a variety of conditions, including venomous bites and other external wounds. It was introduced into US. medical practice in 1887 and was touted for use in conditions ranging from colds to syphilis. Modern research started in the 1930s in Germany.

Traditionally, Echinacea has been used in the past for blood poisoning, eczema, fevers, flu, carbuncles, acne, boils, peritonitis, bites & stings of poisonous insects or snakes, gangrenous conditions, diphtheria, tonsillitis, sores, infections and wounds.

The primary properties of Echinacea are considered to be alterative, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, depurative, digestive tonic, immune stimulant, sialagogue, stimulant, and vulnerary.

Primary chemical constituents of Echinacea are known to include mucopolycaccharides, echinacoside, echinaceine, isobutylmines, linoleic and palmetic acids, essential oils, glycosides, inulin, polyacetylenes, sesquiterenes, betaine, and phenolics. Echinacea also contains small amounts of iron, iodine, copper, potassium, sulphur, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C.

Echinacea is one of the most popular herbs and has been extensively studied for its effects on the immune system. It has been used as an immune stimulant for a variety of afflictions, including colds and flu. It has been promoted as a general health measure to improve resistance during seasonal outbreaks, but there is some concern related to the potential immunosuppressive effects of prolonged use. In general, prolonged continuous use is not recommended. It also helps internal gangrene, and has been shown to dilate the peripheral blood vessels.

Past topical uses have included the following: the fresh root is chewed to alleviate toothaches; as a mouthwash for gingivitis and pyorrhea; as an additive in various salves, poultices and washes; for venomous bites, such as insect, spider and snake; and also for infected wounds and gangrenous conditions. Echinacea supports the immune system. Several constituents in Echinacea team together to increase the production and activity of white blood cells, lymphocytes, and macrophages. Echinacea also increases reduction of interferon, an important part of the body's response to viral infections such as colds and flu.