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Echinacea
Root & Herb
(Echinacea purpurea)
Other
names: Echinacea
purpurea, Echinacea pallida, Echinacea
angustifolia, Coneflower, Snakeroot, Purple
Coneflower, and Blacksamson
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Medicinally
The
most popular American medicinal plant is echinacea
hundreds of millions of dollars worth of echinacea
products are sold in the United States and Germany
every year. While the exact chemical compounds
responsible for the plant's healing efficacies are
unclear, its therapeutic value is well known.
Echinacea
is herbal medicines first choice of treatment for
colds. Stimulating the immune system, the herbs
can also be used to treat chronic yeast infections
in women and to prevent urinary tract infections
in both sexes. Administered in times of need, this
helpful ally can assist the body's immune system
in treating a wide range of disorders. There has
been some doubt over the ability of the body to
absorb the medicinally active ingredients orally, but recent
research has demonstrated significant absorption
from orally administered applications. The roots
and the whole plant are considered particularly
beneficial in the treatment of sores, wounds,
burns etc, possessing cortisone-like and
antibacterial activity.
History
Echinacea
angustifolia was widely used by the North American
Plains Indians for its general medicinal
qualities. Echinacea was one of the basic
antimicrobial herbs of eclectic medicine from the
mid 19th century through the early 20th century,
and its use was documented for snakebite, anthrax,
and for relief of pain. In the 1930s echinacea
became popular in both Europe and America as a
herbal medicine. According to Wallace Sampson, MD,
its modern day use as a treatment for the common
cold began when a Swiss herbal supplement maker
was "erroneously told" that echinacea
was used for cold prevention by Native American
tribes who lived in the area of South Dakota.
Although Native American tribes didn't use
echinacea to prevent the common cold, some of the
tribes did use echinacea to treat some of the
symptoms that could be caused by the common cold:
The Kiowa used it for coughs and sore throats, the
Cheyenne for sore throats, the Pawnee for
headaches, and many tribes used it as an
analgesic, including the Sioux from South Dakota.
Native
Americans learned of E. angustifolia by observing
elk seeking out the plants and consuming them when
sick or wounded, and identified those plants as
elk root.
Side
effects and contraindications
Reported
adverse effects of echinacea are primarily
allergic in nature and also include anaphylaxis,
asthma attacks, thrombocytopenic purpura,
leucopenia, abdominal pain, nausea, dysuria,
arthralgia, myalgia, and dizziness. These tend to
be infrequent, mild, and transient. Echinacea
should not be taken by persons with progressive
systemic and auto-immune disorders, connective
tissue disorders, or related diseases. It should
not be used with immunosuppressants or hepatotoxic
drugs, and has the potential to interfere with
anesthesia.
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Echinacea herb C/O
(Echinacea purpurea)
Origin-
USA 
Echinacea
sets the
standard for the immunity and recovery at
the onset of viruses, colds, the flu and
swelled glands. Echinacea is also beneficial to the liver and kidneys as it
cleans the blood and fights fungus,
bacterial and microbes.
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Echinacea root C/O
(Echinacea purpurea)
Origin-
USA
Echinacea
sets the
standard for the immunity and recovery at
the onset of viruses, colds, the flu and
swelled glands. Echinacea is also beneficial to the liver and kidneys as it
cleans the blood and fights fungus,
bacterial and microbes.
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For
educational purposes only This information
has not been evaluated by the Food and
Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease. |
