Good day! Our medicinal plant pick today is: Echinacea, also known as purple coneflower. It seems like most people refer to this plant as just echinacea, but it's one of a handful of species of echinacea.
The Latin name of this plant is Echinacea purpurea.
This plant is often used to treat the common cold, as it’s known to improve overall immune system health. Some studies have shown that echinacea can increase the number of white blood cells in the body, which are important for fighting infection. When taken at the first signs of a cold, echinacea can shorten the duration of that sickness.
The roots, leaves, and flowers all contain these medicinal properties. Echinacea is best for short-term use for acute infections, only taken when a cold is coming on instead of taken daily to prevent colds. The medicinal benefits work best when administered frequently, so if you’re taking echinacea in either tincture form or as a tea, it should be taken every couple hours.
Have a magical day,
Jenny
PLANT INGESTION WARNING!
As with all herbs and plants you plan to ingest, never ingest them before doing your own research and/or talking with your doctor - it’s possible that medications you take or health conditions you have could have a negative effect if paired with echinacea. Better safe than sorry!
Photo credit goes to Eric Hunt