Good evening on a cold fall day here in Minnesota, and thank you for reading the Self Help Tips Blog!

Today I will share both the history and the benefits of the herb Echinacea.

Echinacea is a native herb of North America and was one of the most important herbs in the traditional medicine of the North American Indians. In the 19th century its use spread to the Western World, and it is now one of the most popular herbal remedies used in Europe.

There are two main types of Echinacea: Echinacea angustifolia (coneflower) and Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower). Both varieties are members of the aster/daisy family. Echinacea is a very popular garden plant due to its beautiful flower, but it is mainly the roots that are used in herbal medicine. It should also be noted that the whole plant is used in some preparations.

The most important active compound in Echinacea is echinacoside. In addition, the plant contains phenolics, volatile oil and a range of other principles. It's the combination of all of these active compounds that make Echinacea such a wonderful herb to use. This herb is thought to promote healing through its antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying effects.

Traditionally, Echinacea was used as a blood purifier and therefore it was classed as a cleansing herb. It was commonly used for skin complaints such as boils, eczema, acne, psoriasis and any eruptions of the skin, thereby utilizing its cleansing properties.

Recent research indicates that the herb has much greater effects than just as a cleanser, and that through maintaining the body's natural barriers it helps prevent the spread of infection. When taking Echinacea, the white cells (leukocytes) in the body are stimulated into action. These white cells are a vital part of the body's defense mechanism and when stimulated, help to destroy any infections.

When taken internally, it has proved to be a useful herb for improving the body's own resistance to infectious conditions, especially the common cold and influenza. Unfortunately, this use has been misunderstood by the vast majority of people and it has been found that some will take this herb for months, sometimes years, to try to stop catching colds or flu.

What should be remembered is that Echinacea stimulates the white blood cells and prolonged use can lead to over stimulation. As a result, when infection does strike the white cells can be ineffective. If Echinacea is to be used in the fight against colds and flu, then it should be taken only after exposure to the virus and then taken for two to three weeks until the danger of contamination has gone. If a cold or flu develops unexpectedly, then a small amount of Echinacea taken every couple of hours until it is gone can be quite effective.

It must be noted that the use of Echinacea is far greater than just a 'cure' for the common cold. Scientists working with a variety of viral diseases have found a protein in the body that had marked anti-viral properties (interferon). Interferon is non-specific in its action and is produced to overcome viral, bacterial or protozoa infections of the body. Plants like Echinacea can be used to stimulate the body into producing more interferon, which will help the body to fight infections. Most low-grade, minor infections are caused by viruses and this means that antibiotics are of no value in such cases.

It should also be remembered that antibiotics should always be used sparingly, and for severe bacterial infections only.

This very useful remedy can be used in conjunction with other herbs for infections anywhere in the body. If combined with Bearberyy (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) it can be effective in stopping cystitis.

For upper respiratory tract infections, it works well if combined with the Chinese herb Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), which also increases the production of white blood cells.

Even though Echinacea is one of the most widely studied plants in herbal medicine, a lot of research is still needed in order to get the complete picture of the healing properties of this wonderful herb.

Please note that this report is for information only and should not be used in place of seeing a healthcare practitioner.