Echinacea - Versatile Friend 

    Here is one herb that is not shy about helping in times of need, whether it be fighting off a cold, strengthening the immune system, assisting in the treatment of skin cancers, or one several other renowned benefits. Lately scientific evidence has "validated" the effectiveness of Echinacea, so we herbalists can take comfort in the thought that an herb with such a detailed history of use is actually found to be to be "useful" (you'll have to forgive the sarcasm - I just think empirical evidence should count for something). Echinacea, commonly called the Purple coneflower, is a genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the Family Asteraceae. All are strictly native to eastern and central North America. The plants have large showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. Some species, mainly Purpurea and Angustifolia, are used in herbal medicines. The genus name is from the Greek echino, meaning "spiny", due to the spiny central disk. They are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing to 1 or 2 m in height. The leaves are lanceolate to elliptic, 10 to 20 cm long and 1.5 to 10 cm broad. Like all Asteraceae, the flowers are a composite inflorescence, with purple (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head; "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone.

Energetics / Properties 

    Energetically Echinacea is known to be bitter, pungent, and cooling. The organs it affects are the lungs, stomach, and liver. Echinacea has also been found to have alterative, carminative, stimulant, and vulnerary effects on the body. Uses Some species of Echinacea, notably P. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, are grown as ornamental plants in gardens. They tolerate a wide variety of conditions, maintain attractive foliage throughout the season, and multiply rapidly. Appropriate species are used in prairie restorations. Some species are used by domestic stock for forage; an abundance of these plants on rangeland purportedly indicates "good health". Echinacea angustifolia rhizome was used by North American Plains Indians, perhaps more than most other plants, for various herbal remedies. Echinacea was one of the basic antimicrobial herbs of Eclectic medicine in the mid 1800s through the early 1900s and its use was documented for snakebite and anthrax. In the 1930s "Echinacea" became popular in both Europe and America as an herbal medicine. Echinacea has been popularly attributed with the ability to boost the body's immune system and ward off infections, particularly the common cold. The tea from this herb has also been used for infections, has been used in treating cancers including skin cancer, and is useful as a general lymphatic tonic. Depending on which species is used, herbal medicines can be prepared from the above-ground parts and/or the root. Echinacea stimulates the body's immune system against all infectious and inflammatory conditions, counteracts pus, and stimulates digestion. It specifically strengthens the immune system against pathogenic infection by stimulating phagocytosis (T-Cell formation) and by inhibiting the hyalurinadase enzyme secreted by bacteria to effect the breakdown of cell walls and the formation of pus. Echinacea is on of the most powerful and effective remedies against all kinds of bacterial and viral infections. It should be taken frequently, every hour or two during acute stages of inflammation, tapering off as symptoms improve. There are no generally recognized side effects of Echinacea overdose aside from a peculiar scratchy, tickling sensation in the throat from excessive use. The dosage for a standard infusion is between three to nine grams or, for a tincture, 10 to 30 drops. 

Constituents 

    The biochemistry of Echinacea is as follows: An essential oil containing the oncolytic hydrocarbon 1, 8- Penta-decadiene; polysaccharide 1 (a heteroxylan) containing arabinose, xylose, glactose, glucose, and a 4-0- methylgluronic acid; polysaccharide 2 (an arabinorhamnogalactic) containing rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, and glucuronic acid; echinacen (an isobutylkylamide comprising 0.01% or the dried root of Echinacea angustifolia and 0.001% of the dried root of E. pallida); echinolone (appolyacetylene compound from E. angustifolia, at concentrations of 1% of root preparations); echinacin B; an unsaturated aliphatic sesquiterpene, betain; inulin; inuloid; fructose; sucrose; higher fatty acids; 6.9% protein in the air dried roots of E. angustifolia, 5.3% in E. purpurea; tannin; vitamin C; enzymes; an unidentified glucoside; resin; acids and thirteen polyacetylene compounds. 

Cultivation 

    Echinacea is a hardy plant and will grow in any ordinary fertile, well-drained gardening soil, but it will prosper in soil treated with compost and rock phosphate in the spring. It grows in zones three through nine and will tolerate full sun to light shade. They are easy plants to start from seed, provided you wait until the air temperature is about 70� F before you sow. In the garden, Echinacea should be spaced about one and a half to two feet apart between plants. Weeds should be kept in check through mulching and shallow surface cultivation; dying flower heads should be snipped off as necessary. Normally the plants do not need staking, since they tolerate hot, humid temperatures so well. While the soil needs to be moderately moist, you should not have to water unless there is an extended dry spell (If you live in the Southwest, you will need to water periodically). If you experience cold, dry winters, you might want to cover the plants with a bed of hay or evergreens to prevent any instance of root damage, but this is not absolutely essential. In most cases, prospering plants are hardy and will survive winters unattended. Every four or five years it�s a good idea to dig up Echinacea, divide it, and replant in newly amended soil. Pests and diseases: Leaf spot or Japanese beetles could infest your plants, so precautionary measures should be geared toward them. Harvesting and storage: If you intend to use the roots for herbal healing purposes, it is best to wait until after the plant has endured several hard frosts and begun to die back. The root should then be cleaned and dried. The crown of the plant can be replanted after the root has been harvested, but the new plant will not be as medicinally potent.

References 

1. Wikipedia online encyclopedia - www.wikipedia.org

2. Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, WI, 1988

3. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, William H. Hylton and Clair Kowalchik (editors), Rodale Press Inc., Emmaus, PA, 1998