Herbalists consider Echinacea one of the best blood purifiers and an effective antibiotic. It activates the body's immune system increasing its chances of coping with illness.

This popular herb has been used to help ward off the common cold and to relieve the symptoms of hay fever for hundreds of years.

The Plains Indians used various species of echinacea to deal with a wide range of problems.

The settlers quickly adopted the therapeutic use of the plant, and since that time it has become one of the top selling herbs in the United States. Since the early 1900's hundreds of scientific articles have been written about echinacea. Most of the research during the past 10 years has focused on the immunostimulant properties of the plant.

Echinacea Benefits:

Echinacea's antibacterial properties are of benefit to many types of skin conditions.

It has also been used in homeopathy treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome, indigestion, gastroenteritis, and weight loss.

The constituents of echinacea include essential oil, polysaccharides, polyacetylenes, betain, glycoside, sesquiterpenes and caryophylene. It also contains copper, iron, tannins, protein, fatty acids and vitamins A, C, and E. The most important immune-stimulating components are the large polysaccharides, such as insulin, that increase the production of T-cells and increase other natural killer cell activity.