Echinacea

Disclaimer: This information is in no way intended to be a substitute for modern medical care. Do not self-treat any medical complaint without the guidance of a licensed health care provider.

      Echinacea. We’ve most of us heard of it by now. But, what is it exactly? We see it in herbal mixtures on the pharmacy shelf and *know* that it is good to fight colds and flu. Is that all it does, though? How often should we take it?
      To most of us, we know echinacea better by one of its common names: purple coneflower. Echinacea works best to prevent colds or flu due to its ability to stimulate the immune system, however, if taken at the onset of illness it can lessen the length and severity of the symptoms.
      Echinacea was used traditionally by many Native American tribes to treat snakebite and many other ailments, including fevers and infections; to help heal wounds and poisonous bites and stings; and settlers learned of its properties from them. It is now used worldwide to support the immune system, while also killing viral and bacterial germs in the body.
      Without a doubt, the most popular immune herb in North America today is echinacea. At last count, more than 300 echinacea products were being sold worldwide. Although this herb is native to North America, most of the research studies have been done in Germany. Traditionally grown in the U.S. as a garden plant, it has become a valuable farm crop since its medicinal uses have become well known.
      In the 1950s, the German pharmaceutical company Madaus began studying echinacea. Since then, nearly 400 studies have shown that echinacea can be used to improve the immune system in numerous ways. These include increasing the activity of three of the immune system’s workhorses; T-cells, interferon and natural killer cells. Echinacea even makes cells stronger and more resistant to invasion. That’s a pretty impressive list of abilities for one herb, and those are only the highlights!
      Echinacea is not only versatile; it’s extremely safe. And it’s especially effective for children. Research from Germany shows that it probably works best as a preventative if you do not use it continuously. For example, you might take it for two weeks, then not take it for a week. It also seems to be best in small doses (up to a dropperful of tincture, or two pills) taken several times a day rather than all at once. Echinacea is not toxic, however, and there is nothing wrong with taking it continuously if you are fighting an active infection.

      All children are exposed to numerous illnesses at school and day care, but some kids seem to have sniffles or stomach upsets almost constantly, while others only suffer an occasional cold or flu. Resistance to illness is determined by many factors: diet, heredity and stress are all relevant, but the strength of the immune system is likely the most important consideration. The best kind of herbal medicine is not treating your child once he or she falls sick, but preventing them from getting sick in the first place.
      Repeated illnesses are a sign that a child’s immunity needs to be bolstered with herbs such as echinacea, chamomile and shizandra. In one Russian study, more than 200 young children were given an herbal combination based on echinacea; these kids had fewer colds and fewer days of fever than children who had not taken herbs. Echinacea, chamomile and shizandra can be given as a tea, pills or a tincture. You can purchase these herbs at a natural food store.

Immune Booster Tea

• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp. echinacea root
• ½ tsp each:
  • chamomile flowers
  • shizandra berries (if available)
  • peppermint leaves (for taste)

Boil water and pour it over the herbs. Steep for 15 minutes, then strain out herbs. At first signs of illness, give 1 cup daily for every 50 pounds of body weight. As a preventive measure - for instance when your child is about to start school - give one cup daily for a week. Store extra tea in the refrigerator.

Plant Facts
      Echinacea is a member of the Compositae family, which includes daisy. Growing 2-4 feet high, echinacea has flowers of various shades of pink, depending upon the species. Its foliage is slightly hairy and deep green in color, it has a long taproot, stems covered in tiny bristles and narrow oval leaves. The plant exudes a pleasant, faintly aromatic scent. Its initially sweet flavor turns bitter, leaving behind a sharp, but harmless, tingling sensation that lingers on the tip of the tongue.

Parts Used
      Almost all parts of the plant, including the root, seeds, flowers and leaves, possess medicinal properties. The stems are not widely used.

Components
      The plant’s echinacoside is considered key to its immune-stimulating action on the body and may also play a significant role in antiviral and antibacterial activity. Polysaccharides, which stimulate immune-system cells, are believed to be important to the plant’s medicinal effects.

Indications
      Used both internally and externally, echinacea is used to prevent and treat cold and flu season illnesses, such as ear infections; sore throats; sinusitis and coughs. It relieves inflammation of the prostate, urinary tract and ovaries, as well. It is also useful for topical infections, like cuts and stings. In addition, a diluted tea is an effective skin wash for acne, blemished skin, boils, hives and wounds. It is also used as an adjunct to cancer treatments, such as radiation and chemotherapy, to help boost the immune system.
Caution: Because of its stimulation of the immune system, some health experts counsel against using it for autoimmune disorders, such as leukemia, lupus or AIDS.

Methods of Administration

Tea
To strengthen immunity, use the tea in cycles - drink it for 5 days, and then abstain for at least 2 days. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Add 1 tsp. of dried or 2 tsp. of fresh root. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain and drink 1 cup up to 4 times daily.
Tincture
For symptoms of cold or flu, health-food stores carry echinacea tincture. Add 100 drops to ¼ cup of water or tea and drink hourly. Decrease use to 4 times daily as symptoms improve, and to 2 times daily as they disappear. This process can take up to one week. Echinacea loses effectiveness if used continuously, so take a 3-5 day break before repeating this treatment.
Gargle
To soothe an irritated or sore throat, add 20-30 drops of tincture and a small pinch of sea salt to ½ cup of warm water. Gargle 4-6 times daily until symptoms abate.

Healing Tea Mixtures

Cold and Flu Tea

• ½ tsp. each:
  • echinacea root
  • peppermint leaves
  • hyssop leaves
  • elder flowers
• 1 qt. water

      Combine herbs and pour boiling water over them. Steep for at least 20 minutes. Strain and drink frequently throughout the day. Ulcer Tea

• 1 tsp each:
  • licorice root
  • marshmallow root
  • chamomile flowers
• ½ tsp. each:
  • Oregon grape root or goldenseal
  • hops strobiles
  • echinacea root
  • cinnamon bark
• 1 qt. water

      Put herbs and water in an uncovered saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and steep for about 10 minutes. Strain herbs and store the tea in the refrigerator. Drink 2 or more cups a day.
      Note: If you have ulcers, there are some natural substances that you should avoid: papaya and pineapple. The digestive enzymes made from papaya, which are used in most commercial meat tenderizers, will corrode the areas in the stomach that have been injured by your ulcer. Pineapple can make your ulcer worse in the same way.

Prostate Enlargement
      Many men will be surprised to learn that herbs can help correct prostate enlargement. Also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), this is the most common problem with the prostate. In fact, it is so common that roughly half of North American men between the ages of 40 and 60 are plagued by it. Standard medical opinion points to only two solutions - surgery or hormone therapy - but neither is appealing.
      After having had the surgery, most men find that approximately 5 years later, the surgery needs to be repeated. Hormone therapy, which inhibits the hormones testosterone and prolactin, also carries undesirable side effects, including possible impotence.
      After only a few weeks of using the tincture below, most men will find relief from their enlarged prostate symptoms. After a couple of months, the problems disappear.

Prostate-Reducing Tincture

• 1 oz. tincture of saw palmetto berries
• ½ oz. each tinctures of:
  • nettle root
  • sarsaparilla root
  • wild yam root
  • echinacea root
  • pipsissewa or uva ursi leaves

      Combine ingredients. Take half a dropperful 3 times a day. For a maintenance dose, take once a day.

Care
      A hardy perennial that requires little attention, echinacea grows in any ordinary soil but will prosper in soil that is rich in compost and rock phosphate. Echinacea tolerates hot and humid conditions but requires moderate watering. Cut off dead flowers to encourage more blooming. The plant also attracts butterflies, who drink its nectar and pollinate the flowers.
Harvesting and processing
      Harvest the fresh blooms, because they contain the largest amounts of the active ingredients. To prepare echinacea decoctions and tinctures, dig up the roots in the spring or after flowering and wash them off. Hang them to dry in a cool, dark place. Since the plant’s medicinal components can evaporate rapidly during the drying process, it is most effective to preserve echinacea in an alcohol extract.

Guide to Cultivation

      There are a number of decorative varieties of echinacea that are commercially available but have little or no medicinal value. Only Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea augustifolia and Echinacea pallida have therapeutic properties.
Seeding and planting

1. In December, place echinacea seeds in damp sand or a vermiculite mixture and place it in a sealed, labeled plastic bag in the refrigerator to stratify.
2. In February, prepare a box with potting soil. Generously sow the seeds, depress them slightly into the soil and cover with a thin layer of soil. Mist with water and keep uniformly moist.
3. Maintain the temperature at 68 °F during germination. After the seeds sprout, keep them in a cool area with a lot of sunlight.
4. When the seedlings reach 1-2 inches in height, replant them in the garden about 1½ ft. apart.

Propagation

1. Water the plant a few hours before propagating. To propagate, divide the echinacea clump in the spring or fall.
2. Loosen the soil around the clump. Carefully dig the roots out of the soil and shake off excess dirt.
3. Divide the entire clump with a shovel or a knife into 2-3 equally large pieces, each having some root attached.
4. Immediately plant the new plants in properly prepared soil about 1½ ft. apart and water them generously.

Sources:
      All information provided in this article is the result of research using (but not limited to) the following books and guides: Herbs for Health and Healing, Rodale; Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Scott Cunningham; Magical Herbalism, Scott Cunningham; The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, International Masters Publishers; Earthway, Mary Summer Rain; Teach Yourself Herbs, Susie White; Natural Beauty from the Garden, Janice Cox; Nature's Prescriptions, Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing, and The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies, Joe Graedon and Theresa Graedon, Ph.D