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What is Echinacea?
By Tash Hughes of
Word Constructions
Echinacea is a plant native to Eastern USA. The name
Echinacea is derived from the Greek word echinos meaning
hedgehog – this relates to the spiky centre of each
flower.
The
Echinacea plant
There
are 9 different species of the plant, although Echinacea
purpurea is the easiest to grow and therefore the most
common variety.
The
plants
-
Like full sun or light shade in hot climates
-
Grow in poor and dry soils
-
Flower in mid-summer to early autumn
-
Are grown in many parts of the world now
-
Are about 60 -120 cm tall and 45 – 50 cm wide
-
The flowers are on long stems which usually don’t
droop
-
Are related to the Daisy family
-
Grow from a thick, black root.
Echinacea History
Echinacea was used by the native Americans for many
years. One of the key uses they had was for treating
snake bites, so Echinacea is also known as snake root.
They also used it for treating insect bites, smallpox,
sore throats, measles and toothache.
During the 1800s, European settlers also began to use
Echinacea medicinally. This continued until the use of
antibiotics became widespread as the ‘cure anything’
drug. Echinacea has become popular again as a herbal
treatment in the last 20 or so years.
Medicinal Uses
Three
of the Echinacea species are generally used for
medicinal purposes, largely because they are easier to
cultivate. The medicines can be derived form the root or
the above ground parts of the plant, depending on the
species.
Echinacea can be used as an extract, juice or dried.
As
with many herbal or alternative health treatments, there
are differing views as to the benefits of Echinacea.
Many studies have been carried out but have shown
different results; comparisons of these studies is
complicated, however, by the use of different species
and different forms of the medicine on the same medical
issue.
On
the whole, medical practitioners don’t recommend or
prescribe Echinacea due to a lack of clear evidence, but
they also don’t object to its use.
Echinacea has been used to:
-
Treat upper respiratory infections, including colds
and flu
-
Relieve hayfever
-
Treat urinary tract infections (only anecdotal
evidence to support this use)
-
Activate or boost the immune system (most current
research is focussing on this potential)
-
Act as an antibiotic
-
‘purify’ blood
-
Act as an antiviral agent against flu and herpes
-
Stimulate wound healing
-
Benefits skin conditions such as eczema, burns,
insect bites, ulcers and acne
-
Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis and
lymphatic swellings
-
Treat CFS, indigestion, gastro and weight loss as a
homeopathic remedy
Side
Effects and the like
At
the moment, no one knows exactly what is in Echinacea
that makes it useful medicinally. This means that there
are no standards for commercial Echinacea products, so
each brand you try could have different results for the
same illness.
Anyone allergic to daisies and those taking itraconazole,
fexafenacline and lovastatin may experience reactions so
probably should avoid taking Echinacea.
Of
all adverse reactions to alternative therapies in
Australia, about 10% involve Echinacea, with about half
of them being allergic reactions. With about 200 million
doses of Echinacea being used in Australia annually,
that’s about 20,000,000 reactions a year!
Other
than allergies, other side effects appear to be either
minor or rare. However, there are some research results
which indicate the side effects are more significant.
Clear communication is critical to
the success of any business, but it is often left to
care for itself in many businesses. Tash Hughes is a
professional and skilled writer who makes technical and
otherwise boring information accessible for everyone a
business needs to communicate with. Next time you need
webcopy, articles, newsletters, reports or any other
business document, visit
www.wordconstructions.com.au to
see how Tash and her team can help your business
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