Echinacea Materia Medica

SUMMARY

Echinacea is a native American herb long revered for its immune qualities in fighting infection, reducing inflammation and stimulating healthy lymphatic response.

MATERIA MEDICA Latin Binomial: Echinacea purpurea / Echinacea angustifolia Common Name(s): Echinaceae, Cone Flower

TCM Name: Zi Zhu Hua Family: Asteraceae

Physical Description of the Plant: Echinacea is a perennial herb native to the midwestern region of North America. It has tall stems, bears single pink or purple flowers, and has a central cone that is usually purple or brown in color. The large cone is actually a seed head with sharp spines that resemble a stiff comb.

Habitat: North America, Europe

Harvest and Collection: The roots and aerial parts are used from the Echinacea plant. The aerial parts are most often used for herbal teas, while the roots hold the most powerful medicine from the plant. Harvest the roots of a 2-3-year-old plant in the spring or the fall. E. Augustafolia has fibrous roots and E. Purpurea has a taproot.

* Echinacea is an endangered plant, so growing or buying your own Echinacea is preferred to harvesting from the wild.

Parts of the Plant Used: Flower, Roots (plants older then 2-3 years)

Qualities: Energetics: Cooling, drying, stimulating

Taste: Root is slightly sweet, pungent, aromatic, tingles the tongue with most species.

Actions: Western:

• Immunostimulant

• Immunomodulator

• Lymphatic

• Depurative

• Antiviral

• Antibacterial

• Anti-inflammatory

• Antioxidant / free radical scavenger

• Vulnerary

• Sialagogue

Eastern:

Indications:

· Bacterial or viral infections (prevention and treatment)

· URTIs, colds and influenza

· Other viral, fungal and bacterial infections

· Sore throats, tonsillitis, toothaches (gargle)

· Inflammatory and autoimmune conditions

· Skin conditions – acne, eczema, psoriasis, impetigo (Staph.)

· Slow healing wounds, dermal wounds, bruises, burns, scratches, leg ulcers, acne, impetigo (school sores) (topically)

· Reduces chemotherapy side effects and leukopaenia (WBCs)

· Traditionally – snake bite, abscesses, septicaemia

Contraindications/Cautions: may have an antagonistic interaction with immunosuppressive medication; exercise caution.

Drug Interactions: Immunosuppressants

Tincture: Liquid extract 20-40mL of 1:2 LE per week (root) Acute doses: 5-35ml per day In divided doses (3-10 doses per day)

Tea: Making a tea with the flowers and leaves use 1-2 tsp in 12oz of hot water, steep for 15 minutes and enjoy! For a decoction of the roots use 1-2 tsp of echinacea root and simmer for 30 minutes, strain, and enjoy!

Topically: Echinacea can be made into salves, compresses, and washes to help treat and relieve: cuts, boils, burns, hives, infected wounds, tendonitis, venomous bites from snakes and spiders, gangrenous tissue, sties, and carbuncles. Echinacea can also be used in a mouthwash to help treat canker sores, gingivitis, pyorrhea.be used in a mouthwash to help treat canker sores, gingivitis, pyorrhea.

Flower Essence: The Echinacea flower essence is of remarkable benefit to the immune system, not by working directly on acute physical conditions as does the pharmaceutical herb, but rather stimulating the “I’ forces within the body-soul matrix. It is this cohering sense of Self that is at the heart of all immune function – able to discern and accept life-enhancing forces and to ward off destructive forces.

Applications: reduce illness, abscess, acne, allergy, blood poisoning, boils, bronchitis, cancer, candida, chicken pox, chronic fatigue, colds, diphtheria, ear infection, eczema, fever, flu, gangrene, herpes, laryngitis, Lyme disease, lymphatic congestion, mastitis, measles, mumps, pneumonia, prostatitis, scarlet fever, sinusitis, smallpox, snakebite, sore throat, tonsillitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, and urinary tract infection.