Echinacea

Echinacea is commonly known as Coneflower. It is natively grown on the eastern and central North America. Its genus name was derived from the Greek word echino which means spiny because of its spiny central disk. Echinacea is a member of the plant family known as Asteracea that are known to be herbacious, drought tolerant perennial plants. These plants grow to a height of 1 to 2 meters.
The genus of Echinacea has several species that are used and marketed as herbal medicine. These species are namely E. purpurea, E. palida, and E. angustifolia. In most cases, the roots and herbs of these species are used in various medicinal preparations such as extracts and expressed juice. Despite its various chemical compositions, the species of the Echinacea genus have relatively the same medicinal effects. In recent studies, it was known that Echinacea can reduce the risk of catching cold by more than half. Furthermore, it can also effectively decrease the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days. The effect of Echinecea is believed to be more noticeable when used on the first sign of a cold.

As a traditional medicine, Echinacea is popularly believed to have a distinct property of an immunostimulator. It is through the use of Echinacea that the non specific immune system of the body is being stimulated and efficiently prevents further infections of any viral diseases. An old herbal medicine, Echinacea was generally an antimicrobial herb. Medical documents revealed that the genus was used to treat snake bites, anthrax, and used as a pain reliever. The popular use of Echinacea as a herbal remedy for a cold began with a Swiss herbal supplement maker contracting an erroneous information regarding the use of Echinacea for cold prevention by Native Americans. Other traditional use of Echinacea was for coughs, sore throat, headaches, and as an analgesic.

A common downside on any herbal medicines, Echinacea also has a number of known side effects. Some of its adverse effects include asthma attacks, thrombocytopenic purpurea, anaphylaxis, leucopenia, abdominal pain, arthralgia, nausea, dysuria, myalgia, and dizziness. Herbal medicine practitioners and medical professionals discourage persons with auto immune disorders and connective tissue disorders from the use of Echinacea. The genus is also known to potentially interfere with anesthesia.

Herbal medicines like Echinacea should not be taken for granted and must be used with sufficient knowledge and proper supervision. Like any other herbal medicines, Echinacea is unregulated, making it a potential threat to our health when used the wrong way. Furthermore, it is important to bear in mind to first seek guidance and recommendations from a health specialist before administering yourself with any herbal medicine such as Echinacea.