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Echinacea purpurea, the most common form of Echinacea found in North American, is popular in holistic circles for its leaves and roots that may contain properties that boost the body's immunity and fight mild infections. Commonly called the purple coneflower, with showy purple-pink blooms that rise on tall stems, Echinacea makes a... more »
Echinacea, or coneflower, has been used to improve health in many different cultures for centuries. Primarily it is used in the U.S. to strengthen the immune system. It stimulates white blood cells, which work to attack bacteria and viruses that can form infections and other ailments. Although known for its medicinal properties, it is... more »
Echinacea purpurea is one of the most popular medicinal herbs, gaining attention in recent years for its effectiveness in fighting infection. This useful plant is native to the United States, where it was used by native peoples and early immigrants alike. In the garden, this hardy plant with tall pink flowers can be a welcome addition. more »
Echinacea can boost the body’s immune system to ward off invading microbes, and has been clinically proven to fight bacterial and viral infections. This popular herb also delays the absorption of other herbs and medications, thus prolonging their therapeutic actions in the body. Echinacea can be taken to strengthen the immune system... more »
The chance of getting a cold or flu increases as winter approaches. But there are some effective herbal remedies that are easy to find. Echinacea is an important herb that can help kick that cold or fight that flu at the first sign of infection. more »
Nothing is worse than suffering from a flu or cold. These sicknesses are more of an annoyance...
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Today, there is a renewed interest in natural foods and cures. Many of these may seem new but in actuality they have been around for centuries.... more »
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea or Echinacea angustifolia) is also known as purple coneflower. It resembles a blackeyed Susan and grows in the... more »
Echinacea was considered so powerful that it was used to treat gunshot wounds and snake bites before antibiotics became available. A popular herb,... more »
Echinacea comes from an herb found in the southern section of the United States, usually in the areas in between Alabama and Texas. The echinacea... more »
Echinacea, known for its immune system-enhancing capabilities, is especially beneficial during cold and flu season. Echinacea root and flowers are... more »
Echinacea (),Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607 is a genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the family Asteraceae which are commonly called purple coneflowers. All are endemic to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. The genus name is from the Greek echino, meaning "spiny," due to the spiny central disk. Some species are used in herbal medicines and some are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. A few species are of conservation concern.
Description
Echinacea species are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing up to 140 cm in height. They grow from taproots, except E. purpurea, which grows from a short caudice with fibrous roots. They have erect stems that in most species are unbranched. Both the basal and cauline leaves are arranged alternately. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture, having uniseriate trichomes (1-4 rings of cells) but sometimes they lack hairs. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles, and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often decrease in length. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three or five nerves. Some species have linear to lanceolate shaped leaves, and others have elliptic to ovate shaded leaves, often the leaves decrease in size as they progress up the stems. Leaf bases gradually increase in width away from the petioles or the bases are rounded to heart shaped. Most species have leaf margins that are entire, but sometimes they are dentate or serrate. The flowers are collected together into single, rounded Heads that terminate long peduncles. The inflorescences have crateriform to hemispheric shaped involucres which are 12–40 mm wide. The phyllaries, or bracts below the flower head, are persistent and number 15–50. The phyllaries are produced in 2–4 series. T read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea
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