Echinacea
Echinacea—popularly known as coneflower—originated in eastern North America and is part of the daisy family (Asteraceae). If you look closely at the centre of each flower, you’ll notice a spiny cone-shaped disc that resembles a sea urchin. That’s where this plant gets its name: from the Greek echino, which means “sea urchin.” Coneflower has long been popular in gardens, but it recently gained new popularity as an herbal remedy. An AC Nielsen MarketTrack report in 2010 showed Canadians spent more than $12 million on echinacea, with sales growing 7% each year. That makes it the fastest-growing remedy in the herbal category in Canada.
Health Benefits
In North America, Aboriginal peoples have used echinacea for hundreds of years, and it has enjoyed a dramatic resurgence in the 20th century. It is frequently taken at the onset of a cold or flu to reduce the duration of the illness and the severity of symptoms. It is also believed to boost the immune system by stimulating the body’s white blood cells.
There is a growing body of research about its effectiveness. In one large study of 755 adults, researchers at Cardiff University found that both cold episodes and number of days with a cold were reduced by 25% in the group that took echinacea.
Research also suggests taking echinacea may increase red blood cell production and oxygen intake in healthy men, which may be linked to improved athletic performance. Combine this with the known immune-stimulating effects of echinacea, and it seems anyone who exercises at a gym, with its plethora of germs, should be taking this plant extract before and after workouts!
DIFFICULTY
Easy
HARDINESS
Perennial in zones 4 to 8 (some varieties hardy to zone 3)
TIME TO PLANT
Spring
TIME TO HARVEST
Flowers in summer, roots in fall
LOCATION
Full sun
SOIL TYPE
Well-drained
Growing
Coneflower is one of the most popular plants in the perennial garden—so popular that every year plant breeders introduce new colours, new sizes, and even new shapes. This showy low-maintenance flowering plant is extremely easy to grow and is a great choice if you’re looking to decrease water use. Originally prairie plants, coneflowers are drought-tolerant and can be grown anywhere there is sun. They look great in borders, open meadows, and formal gardens and can be used indoors as a cut flower. As a bonus, they even attract bees and butterflies!
Common Varieties: Echinacea purpurea, or purple coneflower, is the most familiar species, but two others are also popular in herbal remedies: narrow-leaved purple coneflower (E. angustifolia) and pale purple coneflower (E. pallida).
PLANT
Mature transplants can be planted anytime during the growing season, but spring or early fall is ideal. Choose a location with lots of sun and well-drained soil. Remove the root ball from the pot and plant just deeply enough so the soil line remains unchanged. Water deeply and infrequently until established.
GROW
The term “low-maintenance gardening” was created for echinacea! Drought-tolerant and resistant to disease and insects, echinacea needs only an occasional watering, lots of sun, and regular removal of surrounding weeds.
For overall plant health, I recommend deadheading (removing spent flowers) often. However, you may want to let the flower heads go to seed if you want to plant more echinacea next spring. Harvest the seed heads in late summer after the flowers have dried. Store the seeds in envelopes in a dark, dry location indoors and sow them directly in the garden in early spring.
Echinacea plants can be divided in early spring or late fall.
HARVEST
Harvest echinacea flowers mid-morning after the dew has dried. Remove the entire stem back to the first leaves, then remove the flower tops from the stems.
Harvest the roots in fall. Lift the plants with a garden fork and cut away sections of the root with a sharp knife, leaving large sections behind so the plant will survive. Place the roots in the sun to dry them, then remove the soil with a brush. Cut root sections into 5 cm (2 inch) pieces for storage.
STORE
Dry both roots and flowers on drying trays or open screens in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place (see “Drying Herbs at Home” on page 365). Use separate trays for the roots and flowers and don’t allow the pieces to touch one another. After drying, store the roots and flower petals separately in airtight containers in a cool, dark place.
Some varieties of white echinacea, like ‘White Swan’ pictured here, pack the same medicinal punch as their purple cousins. But the purple varieties are far more common.
Put It to Work
Cold or flu? Echinacea is for you!
Rigorous trials have shown that echinacea extracts shorten the duration and lessen the symptoms of the common cold. Fresh-pressed juice and alcoholic tinctures of echinacea root are the forms most commonly studied and proven effective.
You can make your own tincture using the purple flower top and roots—that’s where the powerful medicine is found. Dig up 4 mature echinacea plants, chop off the roots and flower tops, and discard the leaves and stems (all the green stuff). Wash the flowers and give the roots a good scrubbing.
Using a sharp knife, chop the flowers and roots into fine pieces. Loosely pack them into a resealable glass jar (like a Mason jar) until two-thirds full. Pour in enough vodka (at least 80 proof) to fill the jar. Place wax paper over the jar and then screw the lid on tightly to seal it. Label the jar, including the date prepared and the alcohol used. Set aside in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks, shaking the jar vigorously for 2 minutes every day.
After 2 weeks the tincture can be strained through a fine-mesh sieve (optional). Pour the tincture into a sterile dark-coloured glass container with a tight-fitting lid to protect it from light. The tincture will keep for at least a year stored in a cool, dark place.
Dried echinacea root.
At the first sign of a cold or flu, dilute 1 teaspoon of the tincture in 1 ounce of water and gargle for 1 minute before swallowing. Repeat 3 times daily. You will feel your tongue get slightly numb or tingly—this is normal. It indicates the activity of some of the phytochemicals in the echinacea and will last only a few minutes.
Got gingivitis? Swish with this!
Gingivitis is chronic inflammation of the gums, causing them to bleed and swell. It is the most common type of gum disease and a common cause of tooth loss after age 35. Gingivitis is caused by plaque around the teeth. Flossing and brushing regularly can help treat and prevent it, but because recent research has linked gingivitis with heart disease, adding a third layer of protection is a good insurance plan. It turns out echinacea may help.
Open a new bottle of your favourite mouthwash and swish with the first dose (a capful, or about 1 ounce). Then pour 1 ounce of echinacea tincture (see opposite page) into the bottle. Continue to use the mouthwash as directed. Do not swallow.
Weekend warrior? Add echinacea to your water bottle!
Once you’re into exercise, you typically can’t stop. Some athletes and weekend warriors end up with a condition called overtraining syndrome, where performance begins to deteriorate and the immune system begins to malfunction. One sign is an increased incidence of upper respiratory tract infection after excessive exercise.
One way to help prevent the immune suppression caused by overtraining is adding echinacea to your water. Start by making echinacea tea. Boil 1 cup of water with ½ cup of freshly chopped echinacea flower and root for 10 minutes. Cool and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into 4 to 8 cups of water and consume as you normally would during exercise.
Fast Forward
Fast forward to the health food store to purchase A. Vogel Echinaforce tincture or equivalent. Follow the instructions on the label.
Cautions
Echinacea is a very safe herb that has very few side effects when taken orally. It was once believed long-term use was unsafe, but it has since been proven that it is safe for up to 4 months at a time at therapeutic ranges or year-round as a regular addition to your weekend water bottle.
You should avoid echinacea if you have an autoimmune illness, such as lupus, or other progressive diseases, such as tuberculosis or multiple sclerosis. Those who are allergic to flowers of the daisy family (Asteraceae) should not take echinacea.