Medicines
Echinacea
Category: Medicines - plant based
Type
Voluntary
Introduction and description
Echinacea is a genus, or group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. The nine species it contains are commonly called coneflowers. They are endemic to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word echino) meaning "sea urchin," due to the spiny central disk. Some species are used in herbal medicines and some are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers.
And scientific studies suggest they do have healing capabilities.
Background
Echinacea angustifolia was widely used by the North American Plains Indians for its general medicinal qualities. Although Native American tribes didn't use echinacea to prevent the common cold, some Plains tribes did use echinacea to treat some of the symptoms that could be caused by the common cold: The Kiowa used it for coughs and sore throats, the Cheyenne for sore throats, the Pawnee for headaches, and many tribes including the Lakotah used it as an analgesic.
Native Americans learned of E. angustifolia by observing elk seeking out the plants and consuming them when sick or wounded, and identified those plants as elk root.
How it works
Scientists are working on it, see the observations from PubMed.
Related observations
Healing observations
- Dr Duke's list of Medicinal Plants having metal chelating activity 018061
- Dr Duke's list of medicinal plants with multiple chemical analgesic activity 017960
- Dr Duke's list of Plants Containing QUERCETIN 021446
- Dr Duke's list of Plants containing SELENIUM 020550
- Dr Duke's list of plants having chemicals with vasodilatory activity 017836
- Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antiaflatoxin Activity 018393
- Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antianemic activity 018408
- Dr Duke's list of Plants with AntiHIV-Integrase Activity 018423
- Dr Duke's list of Plants with Metal chelating ability from FERULIC ACID - PART 1 018253
- Dr Duke's list of Plants with Radioprotective activity 018062
- Dr Duke’s list of Plants with high Antiescherichic activity 021245
- Echinacea and health 005692
- Echinacea and herpes 005382
- Echinacea and the common cold 005383
- Plants used to treat skin diseases 027515
- Prevention of selenite induced oxidative stress and cataractogenesis by luteolin 017697