Echinacea — Echinacea spp.

Echinacea

Latin name: Echinacea spp.

Family: Asteraceae

Part used: Root (mainly), (seeds, flowers, leaf, stem are used in modern preparations)

Habitat: native to N. USA, cultivated in Europe

Common names: Purple cone flower, Purple coneflower

Main constituents: polysaccharides (arabinogalactan), echinacoside, unsaturated isobutyl amides, essential oil

Energetics: cooling, stimulating, drying, slightly sweet, then bitter

Main herbal actions: antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, vulnerary, alterative, immune stimulatory (most successful as antibacterial (Khalsa), yeast (Khalsa)

Minor herbal actions: inhibits hyaluronidase, stimulates leukocytes

Main medicinal uses: microbial infection, colds, influenza, skin diseases: boils, carbuncles, septicemia; tonsillitis, pharyngitis

Minor medicinal uses: swollen glands, gum disease, vaginal candidiasis, increasing white cell count (Khalsa)

Preparations: internal: infusion: ½-1 tsp/cup water: 1:1 tincture: 10-75 gtt qd-qid; Tincture: up to 60 ml (Khalsa); powder in capsules: 5-20 grams (Khalsa); external: poultice (note possible discrepancies for doses of different preparations)

Contraindications: AIDS patients (possible)

Toxicity: none known

Notes: Historical use was almost exclusively root. Much confusion over past decades regarding species identity. Eclectic use was angustifolia. German use was mainly purpurea misidentified as angustifolia. Some authorities caution in AIDS.

Sources: Sharol Tilgner, N.D.: Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth; Wren, R.C. Potter’s New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations