Echinacea purpurea

How many times have you heard about this wonderful and beautiful plant? I am sure that many of you had the pleasure to use it for its amazing properties.

I would like to explain a bit more as I think is important to understand how does it work and why it is so famous.

Some 50,000 to 70,000 plant species, from lichens to towering trees, have been used at one time or another for medicinal purposes. Today, Western herbal medicine still makes use of hundreds of native European plants, as well as many hundreds of species from other continents. It is amazing to see how many plants around us can be made into Medicine and what is more astonishing is that many of those plants are in our gardens, parks, woodlands etc. We simply don’t know much about it unless we go deeply into study them, and trust me it is a long and never ending study.

The most common species of echinacea are Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia but there are nine distinct species that exist and at least 50 hybrids that have been cultivated.

Echinacea Purpurea “Mangus” is one of the most popular herb used around the world. It is native to the prairies of North America and prefers full sun.

It is commonly know to help with cold and flu symptoms, it is an immune stimulants and can be paired with other Herbs to help support the Respiratory system, the Urinary tract and also for Intestinal support.

Historically it was used to purify the blood and to treat conditions like blood poisoning, deep infections and sepsis.

I use Echinacea quiet often during winter times but unfortunately there has been a misunderstanding on when and how to use it. Many people start using it when they start feeling sick thinking that it will resolve all their problems. Instead, the best way to use it is before getting sick, to help and support the immune system.

When we dealing with Herbs with need to be cautious of the dosage and how often we take them and in which form. Echinacea is versatile and can be combined with a variety of herbs to help with different body systems. The therapeutic actions of Echinacea are alterative, anodyne, antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory (mild), antioxidant, antiseptic, antitumor, antiviral, astringent, carminative, depurative, diaphoretic, digestive, febrifuge, immune stimulant, sialogogue, stimulant, vulnerary.

Echinacea is best used during short periods of time, in this way it is unlikely to cause any constitutional imbalances. It is a cooling herb even if its pungent and stimulating quality are associated with warmth and heat.

There are different ways we can use Echinacea, by tincture, tea, decoction, tablets and infused in oils.

It is very important to harvest/buy ethically this plant that unfortunately is an at-risk plant in the wild, so be sure to purchase organically cultivated or grow your own.

REFERENCE : Evolutionary Herbalism, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine