Potential Side Effects and Health Benefits of The Herb Echinacea

Botanical Name: Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea purpurea
Other Common Names of Echinacea
Purple Coneflower, Kansas Snakeroot, Black Sampson, Coneflower, American Coneflower.

Habitat:
Echinecea is native to North America. There are nine types of Echinacea in this species of daisy but only a few have a well documented use in traditional American medicine. Echinacea purpurea does not have the wide variety of indications that E. angustifolia has, which could be because eastern native American tribes who used E. purpurea were resettled on western reservations where Echinacea angustifolia grew; and most records of the Native American uses of plants were made after the resettlement.


Description:
Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea are a very similar looking plants with the defining difference being the flower colour; purpurea has a purple flower and angustifolia is white. Echinacea is a spectacular plant with dark green foliage and large daisy like flowers with stems up to 1.5m in height. The flowers have a spiny conical centre which gives this herb its name, from the Greek word echino, meaning spiny.

Plant Parts Used:
The stabilised juice of Echinacea purpurea tops, which is often sold under the trade name “Echinacin”.
1.Fresh or dried whole plant or aerial preparations of E. purpurea, E. angustifolia or E. pallida.
2.Fresh or dried preparations from the roots of E. purpurea, E. angustifolia or E. pallida.
3.Mixtures of any of the above.

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Echinacea Therapeutic Benefits and Claims.

• Echinacea is probably the most commonly used herb in the Western World. This herb is used to prevent and treat colds, infections and flu. The three active constituents are alkamides, chicoric acid and polysaccharides; however, the action of these ingredients is still being understood. What useful evidence there is indicates that Echinacea mainly stimulates phagocytosis, ie it acts mainly to stimulate the immune response
• Echinacea is indicated in the treatment of:
  • Prophylaxis and treatment of infectious illness such as influenza, colds and bacterial infections, above all those of a chronic or recurrent nature.
  • Treatment of allergies, mild septicaemia, and skin disorders such as psoriasis.
  • To lessen temporary weakness of the body’s defences.
  • Conditions of damaged or suppressed immunity such as post-viral syndromes.
• As an additional point, a recent study on the value of Echinacea in the treatment of colds noted that this herb had no value in treating the common cold. Unfortunately the dosage used in this study was 900mg per day and this is considerably below the therapeutic dose used by herbalists. Also, it should be noted that the cold virus was introduced artificially to young healthy subjects; in real life situations, Echinacea is an immune booster for those with compromised immunity from a range of issues including stress, overwork, exhaustion who are exposed to a wide range of constantly evolving viruses