Botanical name: Echinacea spp. (Echinacea angustifolia, DC., Echinacea pallida Britton., Echinacea purpurea L.)
Family: Asteraceae
Used parts: roots (E. pallida, E. angustifolia, E. purpurea); aerial parts (E. purpurea)
Main properties: anti-inflammatory, it helps heal wounds, it improves immune defences and is useful in case of dermatitis.
Therapeutic uses: Echinacea can be used to increase immune defences in case of weak immune system, treat airways recurrent infections and heal wounds but also as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory for external use.
Echinacea is a perennial herbaceous plant up to 60-70 cm tall. It is of North American origin, but in Europe its cultivation is rather widespread too. Amongst all the existing species of Echinacea, the following ones are most employed in phytotherapy:
• Echinacea purpurea
• Echinacea angustifolia
• Echinacea pallida
Thanks to its significant properties, Echinacea has been a plant of interest to phytotherapy for a long time. Its main chemical constituents are:
• Polyphenols
• Polysaccharides
• Unsaturated aliphatic compounds
• Flavonoids
• Long chain fatty acids
• Essential oils
Echinacea-based preparations generally have immunological properties and, in particular, increase immune defences. Echinacea, in fact, seems to be able to stimulate endogenous immune defences by aspecifically stimulating the immune system through phagocytosis activation and stimulation of fibroblasts.
According to some scientific studies, Echinacea would have effective results both as a preventive measure and as an adjuvant treatment in case of airways recurrent infections and seasonal illnesses.
Echinacea extracts also proved to have antimycotic effects, to stimulate immune system in case of antibiotic treatments and are, moreover, used as an adjuvant treatment for inflammatory conditions.
Finally, it is also recommended to use Echinacea as a product for external use, for it helps heal wounds and has re-epithelizing, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.
Did you know? We owe the use of Echinacea as a treatment to North American Indian traditional medicine. During last century, this plant was the most employed vegetal drug in the USA.