Echinacea

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Echinacea / Echinacea / is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Compositae. In the genus Echinacea there are a total of nine species, but the most popular among them is Echinacea Purpurea. The birthplace of echinacea is considered to be North America, and it was brought to Europe after colonization. In the American steppes, echinacea was one of the most popular plants used in Native American traditional medicine. Today, echinacea is very popular not only among the population of the United States, but also in Europe.

Echinacea is a light-loving plant that reaches a height of 1 to 1.6 m. The rhizome is horizontal, short and with many thin roots. As the plant ages, the root reaches a thickness of 1 cm. The stems of echinacea are straight, covered with thick hairs, branched in their upper part. The flower baskets are large, resembling daisies and reaching a diameter of about 15 cm. The flowers of the plant are purple-pink and white, have a pronounced conical disk. The plant blooms for 60 days in July-August.

For medicinal purposes are used flowers, stems and roots of echinaceawho is over two years old. The leaves and flowers are picked in the phase of full flowering, and the roots are removed only after the onset of autumn frosts, when the aboveground part has already died.

Composition of echinacea

The beneficial properties of echinacea are due to the still poorly studied substances of the genus Echinacea - echinolone, echinacin B, echinacein, echinacea. Echinacea also contains known substances such as flavonoids, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, inulin, betanine, phytosterols, acids and resin.

Selection and storage of echinacea

Only three of the existing nine species echinacea have useful properties, so if you are not an experienced herbalist, you better not start collecting echinacea. The best option is to buy it from a pharmacy. Store echinacea in a cool, dry place, well wrapped in the package.

Benefits of echinacea

Echinacea is a strong immunostimulant. It affects the production of T-cells and enhances the ability of lymphocytes to neutralize bacteria. Studies provide conflicting data on the antibiotic and antiviral effects of echinacea. Some studies confirm these effects, others consider them insignificant, and still others deny their existence.

It is believed that these qualities depend on the type of echinacea that has been used to extract the extract, as well as on the technology for processing the extracts.

There are unproven claims that echinacea has an anti-cancer effect. The traditional intake of decoctions with echinacea extract is associated with the prevention and relief of inflammation and infections that occur in the upper respiratory tract. This means that the herb is mainly used to treat flu and colds.

Echinacea It is used to relieve frequent inflammations in the throat and ears, in acute and chronic bronchitis, in the treatment of chronic diseases such as hepatitis and sinusitis. The herb is used in the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis, bruises and fractures, in the treatment of infertility, in diseases of the male and female reproductive systems. Echinacea has an effective effect in the fight against obesity and tobacco and alcohol dependence. Reduces stress levels in the body, strengthens memory and improves work efficiency.

Echinacea reduces the risk of rhinitis and accelerates the healing of wounds from overlying, psoriasis, eczema and burns.

Application of echinacea

Echinacea is used in several main forms - juice, tea, ointment and tincture. To get a tincture, you have to squeeze the flowers of the plant, and the resulting juice to pour 300 ml of alcohol / brandy /. The mixture is left to stand for 15-20 days in a cool place, then filtered. 20-30 drops of the tincture are dissolved in a glass of water and drunk three times a day to strengthen the immune system.

The procedure is performed for two weeks, then take a week off and continue again. The aqueous solution with a few drops of echinacea tincture can be used for rinsing vaginitis. The tincture is also used for external use in wounds, abscesses and skin inflammations. To do this, apply the affected area with a swab soaked in tincture.

Make echinacea tea by brewing 1 tbsp. flowers of the herb in 500 ml of boiling water. This tea can be drunk prophylactically, three times before meals, for 10 days. Gargling with tea is useful for sore throats.

The juice of echinacea is obtained by crushing fresh flowers. Echinacea ointment is very easy to make - melt a packet of oil and add juice from the plant. The ointment has well-defined regenerative, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Harm from echinacea

Echinacea should not be taken by people suffering from tuberculosis, leukemia, allergies, multiple sclerosis. Pregnant women and young children should also avoid it. The herb should not be drunk for more than 10 days without interruption.