HERB - echinacea

[ND Wederstrandt]

 My apologies if this is posted twice.  I thought I sent this yeasterday
but could find no evidence I did but I don't trust these computers.


I looked into some info on echinacea.  This is based on Steven Foster's
Herbal Renaissance (Gibbs Smith, Salt Lake City, 1997)  and an article by
the same auther one of the 1990 Herbal Companion.

This herb was extremely popular in the United States from early on but by
the 1920's had fallen into disuse.  During the 1930's Germany began to be
interested in developing the medicinal qualities of the plant.  Today due
to the fact that echinacea in the wild is being over harvested, cultivation
is  becoming necessary.

Echinacea has been used as a blood purifier (including for treatment of
gangrene, wounds, blood poisoning, and other ailments to the blood.) It is
also used to support and stimulate the immune system, and to act as a back
up for colds and flus.  It can also be used topically for  inflames
injuries and inflammations.

The echinacea essential oil is used a great deal for cancer research.
Echinacea purpura is said to contain larger amount of essential oil in th
eflower heads.  research indicates that the essential oil also can
contribute resisstance to influenza viruses as well.  Most of the research
is being done by Germany and use echinacea purpura as the study plant.  One
of the reasons is that purpura is the echinacea that is commerically grown
the most.  Angustifolia is not nor is echinacea pallida. Foster writes;
"The questions of which echinacea species is the best has often been
raised,  there is no definitive scientific answer." (Foster, p 89). He goes
on to state his reasoning for prefering purpura which in part is to protect
the other species from being harvested in the wild.

While it appears that purpura has the stronger amont of essential oil, each
species has differing amounts of different chemicals.  Researchers have not
yet determined how these chemcals affect the use of echinacea. Angustifolia
has some chemicals that purpura does not and vice versa. It is suspected
that purpura may have stronger ties toward retardation of cancerous cells
while angustifolia has stronger ties to supporting the healthy immune
system. One of the studies shows that E. purpura has eleven alkylmides in
it's root while E. Angustifolia has fourteen.  These alkylmides are part of
the immunnostimulating qualities found but researchists have not yet be
able to isolate the uses for each.

Based on what Foster says, I would say that if you buy commerically
prepared echinacea products to buy purpura as it is harvested from
commercially grown plants.  Any of the other species, including
angustifolia and pallida are currently wildcrafted and are coming closer to
being endangered.  Two species of echinacea (there are 9) are endangered.

So my earlier statement about angustifolia being more medicinal is not
correct but is not wrong either, since it still is not clear if even
researchers know this.
Should have stayed with lemon balm  *wink*

Hope this helps a little,

Clare






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