Echinacea
Traditional Use Native Americans of the prairie used echinacea for more medicinal purposes than they did any other plant, for everything from colds to cancer. It entered formal medicine in 1895, becoming the best-selling American medicinal plant prescribed by physicians into the 1920s. Later replaced by antibiotics in the United States, it has enjoyed continuous popularity in Europe. In 1993 German physicians prescribed echinacea more than 2.5 million times. Traditionally, herbalists consider it a blood purifier and aid to fighting infections.
Echinacea purpurea
Current Status
Today most consumers use echinacea to prevent and treat colds and to help heal infections. Echinacea enhances the particle ingestion capacity of white blood cells and other specialized immune system cells, thus increasing their ability to attack foreign invaders, such as cold or flu viruses. Besides stimulating a healthy immune system to deal more effectively with invading viruses, it helps accelerate healing if infection already exists.
A 1992 German double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 180 volunteers found that a dose of 4 droppers of tincture (equivalent to 900 mg of dried root) of E. purpurea root decreased symptoms and duration of flulike infections. More clinical studies are needed to determine clear therapeutic indications, the best preparations, and the most effective dosage. The best-studied echinacea is a preparation made from the fresh expressed juice of E. purpurea. No single chemical component has been identified as causing echinacea's medicinal action, but it may involve flavonoids, essential oils, polysaccharides, caffeic acid derivatives, alkylamides, and other compounds.
The tea from this herb should be used in all infections, and has been used in treating skin cancers and other cancers.
Cautions
Persons who are allergic to the pollen of other members of the aster family, such as ragweed, may also be allergic to echinacea.
The German government recommends that nonspecific immunostimulants, including echinacea, should not be used in cases of impaired immune response (involving diseases of the immune system itself) including tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, and HIV infection.
GROWING:
Echinacea likes the prairies and other open, dry places. It adapts to most soils, in full sun, except wet ones. It grows over most of North America. It is a perennial, and reaches to about 2 feet tall. The root is used ground, and the leaves are used for teas.
I prefer to use tinctures over pills whenenever possible. I bought echinacea root and made my own tincture/ Although it is not inexpensive to make, it cost less than buying it over the counter. A good tincture will run around $24 for 2 oz. Dr Robert Schultz recommends that you use a 2 oz bottle of tincture the first week of each month during the cold and flu season to keep your immune system in top shape. I have found that it does work.
Echinacea is powerful when combined with Goldenseal
Echinacea purpurea
Current Status
Today most consumers use echinacea to prevent and treat colds and to help heal infections. Echinacea enhances the particle ingestion capacity of white blood cells and other specialized immune system cells, thus increasing their ability to attack foreign invaders, such as cold or flu viruses. Besides stimulating a healthy immune system to deal more effectively with invading viruses, it helps accelerate healing if infection already exists.
A 1992 German double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 180 volunteers found that a dose of 4 droppers of tincture (equivalent to 900 mg of dried root) of E. purpurea root decreased symptoms and duration of flulike infections. More clinical studies are needed to determine clear therapeutic indications, the best preparations, and the most effective dosage. The best-studied echinacea is a preparation made from the fresh expressed juice of E. purpurea. No single chemical component has been identified as causing echinacea's medicinal action, but it may involve flavonoids, essential oils, polysaccharides, caffeic acid derivatives, alkylamides, and other compounds.
The tea from this herb should be used in all infections, and has been used in treating skin cancers and other cancers.
Cautions
Persons who are allergic to the pollen of other members of the aster family, such as ragweed, may also be allergic to echinacea.
The German government recommends that nonspecific immunostimulants, including echinacea, should not be used in cases of impaired immune response (involving diseases of the immune system itself) including tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, and HIV infection.
GROWING:
Echinacea likes the prairies and other open, dry places. It adapts to most soils, in full sun, except wet ones. It grows over most of North America. It is a perennial, and reaches to about 2 feet tall. The root is used ground, and the leaves are used for teas.
I prefer to use tinctures over pills whenenever possible. I bought echinacea root and made my own tincture/ Although it is not inexpensive to make, it cost less than buying it over the counter. A good tincture will run around $24 for 2 oz. Dr Robert Schultz recommends that you use a 2 oz bottle of tincture the first week of each month during the cold and flu season to keep your immune system in top shape. I have found that it does work.
Echinacea is powerful when combined with Goldenseal
Tags: cold, echinacea, flu, goldenseal, herbalhealing, herbs
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steve & Kara on
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Ah yes, we love the powerful healing of echinecea although were not aware that it helps heal cancer.
Kara -
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Permalink Reply by Joe L. Henderson on -
An old herbal...but just because a little is good, a lot is NOT "gooder." You have to be careful with it.
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