Echinacea

The Source

Echinacea is a herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plant which can grow to 2m in height and is renowned for its effects on colds and flu. It has nine species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. All the different varieties of Echinacea are wildflowers native to North America. The most commonly used varieties are Echinacea Purpurea, more commonly known as the Purple Coneflower, Echinacea Angustifolia, (Narrow-leaf Coneflower) and Echinacea Pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower). The genus name is derived from the Greek word echino, meaning "spiny", due to the plants spiny central disk.

The History

Echinacea was used by North American Plains’ Indians in various herbal remedies for coughs, colds, sore throats, and infections. In the 1880s, it was introduced into general US medical practice and grew rapidly in popularity.

By the early twentieth century Echinacea had become the top-selling herb in America and became increasingly popular in Europe, particularly following research in the 1930s by Dr. Gerhard Madaus, the founder of Madaus AG and a leading herbal medicine manufacturer in Cologne.

The Science

• When taken orally Echinacea can raise white blood cell activity to fight infection, and lower it when the body's condition has improved. It can also help to increase secretions from the lymph nodes, mucus membranes and skin to help shorten the duration and reduce the severity of colds, flu and upper respiratory infections.
• Externally it has been used to treat wounds and skin infections, psoriasis, eczema and inflammatory skin conditions.
• The key active constituents of Echinacea are the immune-enhancing, water-soluble polysaccharides, flavonoids, essential oils, poly acetylenes, and the alcohol-soluble alkylamides and caffeic acid derivatives, all of which vary slightly among the three main species.
• In Goel et al’s (2004) randomized, double-blind study, an Echinacea formulation alleviated the severity of cold symptoms in a group of 282 adults who were in good health, but who had at least two colds in the past year. Those who took 10 doses on the first day and then continued with four daily doses for the next week had 23% fewer symptoms than the placebo group.