The health benefits of Echinacea
- acharalambides0
- Sep 12, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 7, 2024
Echinacea, also known as coneflower, is a purple flower that commonly grows in the woods and fields of North America. Native Americans in the midwestern part of the U.S. have been using it as a medicinal herb for over 400 years. The Great Plains Indians used echinacea for various problems, from toothaches to snakebites. Explorers Lewis and Clark even learned about the plant's health benefits on their voyages and shipped its seeds back to President Jefferson in the 1800s.
The echinacea plant is still in use today as a dietary supplement. There are nine species, but only two of them, Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia, are commonly used in supplements. Although echinacea supplements are most commonly found in pill form, the plant can also be found in teas, juices, and creams.
Echinacea contains several chemicals that may provide health benefits. Researchers believe that two chemicals in particular, polysaccharides and glycoproteins, boost your immune system. Your immune system helps you fight off germs that cause infection.
Echinacea Benefits
Echinacea is mostly used to treat colds. Some early research shows that active ingredients in echinacea and supplements made from it may have broader health benefits as well.
May strengthen the immune system
Echinacea may strengthen your immune system, helping you fight colds and flus caused by viruses or bacteria. Some research shows that the echinacea plant contains chemicals that help your body create white blood cells. When your upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth, and throat) becomes infected, these white blood cells work within your immune system to fight infection.
But other studies have reported only weak evidence that echinacea supplements actually treat colds. It's also not proven that echinacea will make your cold go away faster.
May fight infections
Echinacea may play a role in fighting off various infections, including upper respiratory tract infections. Some data shows that echinacea can treat urinary tract infections, ear infections, and wounds or cuts that are slow to heal.
To stimulate your immune system in general while you have a cold, flu, or upper respiratory or bladder infections, you can try to take echinacea three times a day until your symptoms improve, for a maximum of 10 days.
