Echinacea...Natures Immune Enhancer

Echinacea (or purple coneflower) is a perennial herb native to Midwestern North America from Canada to Texas. Echinacea gets it name from the Greek word echinos, meaning sea urchin, referring to the prickly scales of the dried seed head.

At the turn of the century echinacea was the most sacred healing herb of the plains Indians. The Plains Indians introduced echinacea to the settlers and it soon became widely prescribed by western herbal medicine doctors.

Today Echinacea is one of the most famous herbs thought to reduce susceptibility and the length of a common cold.

Echinacea can jump start your immune system.

Echinacea is probably the most extensively researched herbs. According to an article in The American Journal of Natural Medicine (1995), well over 350 scientific research studies document the use of Echinacea for the prevention or treatment of colds. In one study 180 patients with influenza showed significant reduction of cold symptoms when taking echinacea. In another study, echinacea dramatically reduced the frequency, severity and length of colds among 108 patients.

What makes Echinacea so popular?

Echinacea is said to increase the process by which white blood cells destroy bad microorganisms. In other words, when you get sick echinacea jump starts your body’s own natural response to fight cold viruses.

Besides stimulating a healthy system to ward off viruses, echinacea also helps in healing an already existing infection. When you have a cold and your body is running low on its resources, or when you have been exposed to a cold, echinacea has been found to be a strong and direct activating force in fighting infection.