Echinacea is a perennial herb endemic to the Eastern and Central North America. It is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. Echinacea was widely used by North American Indians for its many known healing properties. Echinacea can be taken in the form of teas, tincture, tablets and capsules. It is mostly known for its immunity stimulation and boosting abilities.
It has tall stems, bears single pink or purple flowers, and has a central cone that is usually purple or brown in color. The large cone is actually a seed head with sharp spines that resemble a stiff comb. There about nice species of Echinacea and its generic name is derived from the Greek word echino meaning 'hedgehog, due to the spiny central disk
- Echinacea angustifolia – Narrow-leaf Coneflower
- Echinacea atrorubens – Topeka Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea laevigata – Smooth Coneflower, Smooth Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea pallida – Pale Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea paradoxa – Yellow Coneflower, Bush's Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower, Eastern Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea sanguinea – Sanguine purple Coneflower
- Echinacea simulata – Wavyleaf Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea tennesseensis – Tennessee Coneflower
There are several chemicals in echinacea that have healing properties and these include polysaccharides, glycoproteins, alkamides, volatile oils, and flavonoids. The combination of all these chemicals is responsible for the effectiveness of echinacea.
Echinacea is one of the strongest known immunity boosters and stimulators. It has been known to triple the number of T-Cells and microphages in the blood system within a few days. It can also increase the number interferon, interlekin, immunoglobulin. These have been known to fight cancer.
Due to its immunity stimulation benefits the taking of echinacea has been known to reduce the duration of colds and flus and to initiate and speed up recovery of immune-related depression illnesses, diseases and degeneration. Most herbalist recommend the taking of strongly concentrated forms of echinacea if it is to be of much benefit. It is also recommended to take echinacea with garlic and cayenne pepper. Cayenne is known for its ability to improve blood circulation and therefore helps in making sure that the herbs that we take are taken to the areas in need quickly and efficiently.
Dosage
The dosage for one of the most powerful echinacea tinctures, Dr Schulze Echinacea Plus is two dropperfuls 5 times a day.
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