Echinacea is a native herb of America.
Echinacea derives its names from a hedgehog due to its hedgehog like appearance. Scales resembling that of an angry hedgehog are present on the head of the cone shaped seed which gives its name
Echinacea derived from “echinos”, the Greek word for hedgehog. Native Americans have been using this herb as part of their traditional medicine for healing injuries and wounds. Scarlet fever, syphilis, malaria, blood poisoning, and diphtheria are some of the diseases which this
herb can be used for treatment.
Plant description:
The plant has a tall stem and bears small purple or violet flowers. The central cone is brownish purple in color. The large cone has spikes emanating from its surface which gives it a comb like appearance. There are nine species on
Echinacea. Out of these, only three can be used as an herb.
Medicinal properties:
Common cold:
Echinacea herb is used both for treatment as well as prevention for common cold and flu. A study was conducted by European researchers which looked into the effectiveness of the
Echinacea herb to treat common cold as well as prevent future bouts of cold from occurring. All the tests produced positive results which further strengthened the base for the usage of this herb to fight common cold and flu. For more effectiveness the herb must be taken within the first few days of the onset of cold.
Echinacea will reduce the recurring symptoms and even avoid future occurrences of cold and flu by improving your immunity.
General uses:
Echinacea contains many active ingredients which help relieve pain and inflammation, fight urinary tract infections, ear infections, vaginal yeast, sinusitis, athletes’ foot, hay fever etc.
Dosage:
Different parts of
Echinacea are available in different forms. It is perhaps for this reason that the effectiveness of this herb varies from pill to pill. In some cases, the tincture may be more effective than a particular pill and sometimes, the pill which uses a different part of the plant will work better on the body.
Children:
The dosage must be in proportion to the child’s weight
Adults:
One gram of dried herbs or three ml of tincture can be given twice a day
Precautions
• Echinacea must not be used for longer than eight weeks as it is believed to lower the immunity on prolonged usage.
• Individuals with sclerosis, liver dysfunction, AIDS, diabetes and leukemia are advised to avoid the use of this herb.
