Echinacea

the herb and the root of echinacea (Echinaceae purpureae herba, radix)

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) is a perennial of the daisy family with purple ray florets that droop around a prickly, raised centre; the genus takes its name from that centre, from the Greek word for a hedgehog. It is native to North America; here it is grown in gardens and in fields.

The herb is used, cut while in full flower, and the root, which is lifted in autumn in the third year, once it is grown enough. The herb is cut at full flowering and dried in the shade; the root is washed, cut and dried at a low temperature.

Three species of the genus Echinacea are used in herbalism and they are not interchangeable; the Latin name must be on the label. In Ašič's collection it appears in Echinacea Drops and in the ImunoSIT blend.

Use and evidence

The EMA treats the herb and the root separately. For the pressed juice of the fresh herb it recognises well-established use for the short-term prevention and relief of a cold, and traditional use on minor surface wounds. For the root it recognises traditional use only, for relieving the signs of a cold and for mild acne. This is not treatment for influenza or for infections, which belong with a doctor, nor a general “strengthening of the immune system”. EMA 1, EMA 2.