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This health article about echinacea is provided to give you information that can empower you, but please be sure to use common sense when implementing any herbal treatment.

Depending on where you live, if you take a walk around your neighborhood during late summer to mid-autumn, you’re likely to see a flower garden with a profusion of tall, daisy-like, purple-pink flowers, called echinacea. This flower been a favorite of home gardeners for many years because of its tolerance to cold, heat and drought. As an added bonus, it attracts butterflies. But it’s more than just a pretty plant. While you may recognize it as the purple coneflower, it’s also one of America’s most popular herbal treatments.

Echinacea (pronounced ECK-in-AY-zhuh) has been used for generations by Native Americans to treat everything from a sore throat to snake bites to toothaches. Nineteenth century herbalists recognized its value as an immune system booster, and also used it to help speed wound healing, reduce inflammations, treat colds and flu, and fight infections. During the early 20th century, it was the best-selling medicinal tincture in America and was used for a variety of internal and external conditions. By around 1930, however, modern medicine dismissed it as worthless and it remained largely unused until the 1980s, when public interest in herbal remedies brought a renewed popularity to this hardy plant. Today, it’s among the best-selling herbal supplements; the two most popular varieties being Echinacea purpurea, which has larger, darker purple petals; and Echinacea angustifolia, which has narrower, paler petals.

Different studies typically show different results, but there is evidence that echinacea helps to relieve cold and flu symptoms and aids stimulation of the immune system. For best results, it’s recommended that you begin taking it at the first sign of a cold or flu, as it works best as a preventative rather than a cure-all. Better yet, take it at the beginning of cold and flu season to boost your immunity and guard against your catching a “bug.”

Echinacea has an excellent safety record: After hundreds of years of use, no toxicity or serious side-effects have been reported other than rare allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. It’s also a full-spectrum anti-microbial; that is, it’s effective against bacteria and viruses. It works not by destroying germs but by energizing your own immune system. And because it engages your body’s natural resources to affect a cure, negative side-effects (such as sometimes occur with synthetic antibiotics) are eliminated.

Most of the plant’s medicinal value is found in the root, with the Augustifolia root being slightly medicinally stronger than the Purpurea root — something to note when buying capsules or tinctures. Because of its ability to boost the immunity system, echinacea may also be recommended to overcome stress, malaise, or general weakness.

There is some question, though, as to whether it’s safe for people with auto-immune diseases. Because evidence tends to be somewhat inconclusive, it’s best to avoid it if you are HIV-positive or have an autoimmune disease, such as lupus, multiple sclerosis or scleroderma. For most of us, though, it’s considered generally safe, although some digestive systems may need time to adjust to it. (It may cause mild nausea in rare cases.)

Echinacea is also recommend to combat seasonal spring allergies and sinus problems, but start taking the herb in February — before allergens are in the air. It’s important to note, however, that it shouldn’t be taken continuously. To maintain a healthy immune system, it’s best used on a “three weeks on, one week off” regimen because the body seems to become accustomed to it and it loses effectiveness. During the week you are not taking it, your immune system will adapt and increase in natural strength.

Photo by Ben Friday

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