Echinacea: Effective Useage of the Purple Coneflower

Echinacea: Effective usage of the purple coneflower

Echinacea is commonly used in the prevention and treatment of the common cold.

"Does it help? If so, how can one use Echinacea effectively?"

The use of Echinacea, as an herbal, botanical remedy for the common cold,  remains controversial. Historically, its usage began in eclectic medicine or medicine aligned with nature, as part of the native North American, herbal medicine tradition. (1)

Echinacea is the genus name derived from the Greek word echino, used to depict the spiny, central disk found in the purple coneflower plant, belonging to the Asteraceae family. There are nine different species of this herbaceous perennial, which originated in eastern and central North America. (2)

After the mid nineteenth century, Echinacea was used by the North American Plains Indians, as an antimicrobial remedy, as well as for snakebite, anthrax and pain relief. Its popularity spread to Europe in the 1930s and has continued to grow since that time. (3)

It is the dried or expressed juice, from the Echinacea purpurea flower aerial parts, that is used for the prevention and treatment of the common cold. (4)

Here are some guidelines for the effective usage of Echinacea (the purple coneflower) for the prevention and treatment of colds.

Echinacea should be taken at the first sign of a cold, with subsequent doses every two to four hours, twenty four hours a day, until the cold symptoms disappear.

Echinacea should not be taken for more than ten days, at a time.

The use of Echinacea is not recommended for infants, under one year of age and is not recommended for children, from the age of one year to twelve years.

Echinacea should not be taken during pregnancy or lactation, as it contains phenols, alkylamides and polysaccharides. While these chemicals may demonstrate an anti-microbial benefit, there is also concern that they may compromise the immune system. Echinacea has been regarded as an immunostimulator, but to date, this has not been proven.

Echinacea is not recommended for anyone with a progressive systemic or auto-immune disorder, or a 

connective tissue disorder. 

Adverse side effects may include nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath. A rash, dermatitis or pruritis, may occur. There is also the possibility of toxin induced liver disease. (5)

Other uses include burns, ear infections, eczema, gingivitis, canker sores, yeast infections and wound healing. (6)

Guidance and directives from a physician are advised, if it is used in conjunction with ongoing medical concerns of a more serious nature.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclectic_medicine

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea

(3) Ibid.

(4) Ibid.

(5) Ibid.

(6) http://www.eherbal.org/data/echinacea.html