Echinacea, also known as echinacea, is a medicinal plant used in both empirical medicine and modern medicine. It is best known for its immune-stimulating effects.
Occurrence and cultivation of echinacea
It was not until 1959 at the International Botanical Congress that the name Echinacea became universal. As a medicinal plant in Germany is used mainly Echinacea purpurea, the purple or red coneflower. It belongs to the composite family (Asteraceae) and is native to the central and eastern parts of North America. The name Echinacea is derived from the Greek “echinos” for hedgehog. Echinacea owes this name to its spiny fruiting base, as the reddish purple spreading leaves on the inflorescence bases look like small hedgehog spines. Up to 300 tubular flowers, also purple, sit on the flower baskets. Echinacea plants are very herbaceous plants that can grow up to 140cm tall. Their lance-shaped, dark green leaves are stalked and rough-haired. Flowering time is from early August to October.
Effect and use
Echinacea is rich in vitamins and minerals. Thus, the plant is considered a source of niacin, iron, magnesium, selenium, silicon and zinc. However, the main active ingredients are alkylamides, caffeic acid derivatives, polysaccharides and essential oils. Echinacea is a so-called immune stimulator. It increases the number of leukocytes, white blood cells, and also stimulates the proliferation of spleen cells. Echinacea ensures the activation of phagocytes, especially the so-called neutrophil granulocytes. They are part of the non-specific defense of the immune system and are responsible for destroying and removing pathogens such as bacteria. The herb also has a positive influence on the T-helper cells. These cells are necessary so that pathogens can be quickly recognized and fought. The coneflower thus has a stimulating effect on the immune system and is considered a strong helper against immune problems. In addition, antibacterial and antiviral effects are also discussed among researchers. Normally, echinacea preparations are used as a preventive measure to prevent viruses and bacteria from attacking in the first place. A curative application has proven to be effective. Long-term use can lead to a weakening of the effect or to allergic reactions. In folk medicine Echinacea is often prepared as a tea. For this, the fresh, cleaned and finely chopped herb is poured over with hot water. The infusion should then steep for ten minutes, covered. About two tablespoons of plant material are needed for a large cup of tea (250ml). A cup of the tea should be drunk up to three times a day, and until the symptoms subside. The echinacea ointment is also popular in empirical medicine for sore skin or poorly healing superficial wounds. For this purpose, ten grams of echinacea tincture are mixed with 90 grams of an ointment containing water. Both components are available in the pharmacy. The ointment should be applied to the sore skin several times a day. Of course, echinacea is also available in numerous variants as finished medicines. The plants for the German medicines are mainly cultivated in Middle and Lower Franconia. The fresh herb and the dried root are used. A pressed juice is made from the fresh herb. The herbs are usually not dried and sold as tea, because the concentration of active ingredients is too low for tea application from dried echinacea. The extract of echinacea is available in the form of pressed juice, drops, tablets, ointments, lozenges or capsules from various companies. In homeopathy, it is not the purple coneflower that is used, but its narrow-leaved relative Echinacea angustifolia. However, the indications are similar: colds, flu, febrile infections, boils, inflammation, fever, and immune deficiency. As already mentioned, Echinacea is often used for chronic infections or as a preventive measure against illnesses because of its immunostimulating, antibacterial and antiviral effects. Because of this very stimulating effect on the immune system, echinacea should not be used in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or collagenosis. Preparations made from echinacea should also be avoided in cases of tuberculosis, AIDS, HIV infection or leukemia. Those who suffer from an allergy to daisy plants should also rather resort to other medicines.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
The healing properties of echinacea have been used for centuries. The first mention of echinacea as a medicinal plant was in 1762, and even then Rudbeckia purpurea, as echinacea was then called, was used for animals with poorly healing wounds. For a long time the coneflower was also used as a medicinal plant under the name Brauneria. It was not until 1959 at the International Botanical Congress that the name Echinacea became universal. In America, interest in the medicinal plant waned, but in Europe, more and more attention was paid to it. Thus, in 1924, Dr. Gerhard Madaus devoted a separate chapter to it in his “Textbook of Biological Remedies”. As a result of this book, the demand for echinacea in Europe increased to such an extent that there were supply bottlenecks for the fresh plant tincture. As a result, echinacea was also cultivated as a medicinal plant in Germany. In the meantime, the plant has become an integral part of many defense-strengthening preparations and is used both for the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Commission E, an expert commission for herbal medicines belonging to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, evaluates the fresh herb of Echinacea purpurea as positive. It recommends taking the fresh plant juice as well as its galenic preparations, i.e. tablets, capsules and the like for supportive treatment of recurrent infections in the respiratory and urinary tract. External application for poorly healing wounds is also recommended by the expert committee.
