By Blair Doucette

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October 14, 2024

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Most of us have used or heard of echinacea during our wellness journeys, either as a tea or a tincture. Or, maybe you’ve just noticed this enchanting garden decoration as you take a neighborhood stroll. This attractive coneflower is native to our area and immensely beneficial to our wellbeing. Beyond the benefit of its beauty in our natural landscapes, echinacea is an excellent pollinator ally, and all parts of it are medicinally beneficial. Indigenous Americans were the first to use echinacea for its medicinal benefits centuries ago. In modern times, conventional medical circles held it in high regard and used it prolifically before the introduction of antibiotics in the 1950s. Whether it’s for health reasons or used to enhance your garden’s appearance, echinacea is a powerful plant ally to have on hand. There are several types of echinacea, but typically, when discussing its medicinal benefits, we’re talking about Echinacea purpurea.

 

Common name: Echinacea 

Latin name: Echinacea purpurea

Part Used: Flowers, leaves, roots

Benefits: Anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, stimulates immune function, wound-healing, gut-protective, most known for its benefits in fighting off colds and flu

Taste: The root is slightly sweet, pungent, and aromatic; tingles on the tongue

Energetics: Cooling, drying, stimulating

History:

Archaeological records suggest that Indigenous peoples have used echinacea in North America for over 400 years. Traditionally used as a cure-all in addition to wound care, echinacea grew in popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries to help combat growing numbers of illnesses, such as scarlet fever, syphilis, malaria, blood poisoning, and diphtheria. It first gained popularity on the market as Meyers Blood Purifier, where it was known to combat rheumatism and rattlesnake bites.1 Today, practitioners continue to use it as one of the most popular plant medicines in the natural medicine world, and interestingly, many in Germany use it even in conventional medicine

Medicinal Benefits:

Today, echinacea is used to stimulate the immune system and heal wounds. Typically, herbalists suggest taking echinacea in some form, such as a tincture or tea, at the onset of cold symptoms like swollen glands, mental fogginess, and low-grade fevers. It also has the ability to help protect and heal the gut lining from harmful micro-organisms, and it may even help reduce inflammatory allergic reactions due to mild food allergies.2 Echinacea also contains a constituent known as cichoric acid; this compound has been shown to stimulate a process called “phagocytosis.” This is just a fancy term for a process where specific cells in the body begin to essentially eat and neutralize invading bacteria.3  This ability to neutralize harmful intruders in the body is why echinacea is typically the go-to choice for herbal medicine at the onset of illness symptoms.

Emotional Component:

Echinacea has long been an herb of strength and self-identity. Due to the pace of our modern age, we can sometimes lose touch with ourselves and our greater purpose. Thus, practitioners often use echinacea in flower essences to help individuals reconnect with themselves and solidify their sense of identity. It’s also used to help break free of and release outdated personal stories, emotions, and toxic attachments that are prohibiting positive growth and self-realization.

Have you read about our other Herbs of the Month? If not, click below to read about:

Goldenrod: The Healing Herold of Autumn

Agrimony: The Herb of Gratitude 

References: 

1. Hostettmann K. [History of a plant: the example of Echinacea]. Forschende Komplementarmedizin Und Klassische Naturheilkunde = Research in Complementary and Natural Classical Medicine. 2003;10 Suppl 1:9-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000071678
2. Sharol Tilgner. Herbal Medicine : From the Heart of the Earth. Wise Acres; 2020.
3. Bone K. All Rights Reserved. No Reprint Without Written Permission Alternative. Medicine Review ◆. 1997;2(2). Accessed September 24, 2024. http://www.anaturalhealingcenter.com/documents/Thorne/articles/Echinaeca.pdf