Echinacea Purpurea, commonly known as the purple cone flower is extremely easy to grow. I have a hardy clump of purple cones growing in a small garden in my Southeastern Iowa (garden zone 4). Every part of the plant (roots, stems, folige, and blossom) have a medicinal use. All the parts of this plant can be used in teas and herbal remedies. The blossom is used in the making of flower essences. Because of its antibiotic properties I have incorporated the echinacea blossom in a special blend of flower essences I created in my healing practice labeled Exhaustion and Fatigue Formula.
A web search on the keyword Echinacea will bring you a mother-load of links, (mostly markets for Echinacea products). I stumbled upon a site that sells a type of daily supplement with Echinacea in it. I do not recommend or approve of using Echinacea in this manner. Echinacea is nature's antibiotic meant to boost your immune system. It is not intended to be taken as a constant. My recommendation is to take Echinacea for a week to ten days. After a lapse of 5-6 days if your symptoms persist then take it for a second period of 7-10 days.
I prefer the liquid tinctures that are available at natural food stores. Echinacea is also available in capsule or tablet form for anyone who cannot tolerate the somewhat unpleasant taste of echinacea extract.
Note: Using echinacea as a treatment for for anyone with compromised immune systems, such as HIV/AIDS patients has become controversial among the healing community. Although some studies have suggested that echinacea may have beneficial effects for people with AIDS/HIV, further research on the subject is needed. If you have AIDS/HIV or are a caregiver for someone with AIDS/HIV, do not initiate echinacea therapy without consulting with a qualified health provider.
- Some researchers believe that echinacea's effects on the immune system might cause problems for people with HIV. However, there are no published studies showing any harmful effects from echinacea. There may be no risk from using echinacea for less than two weeks.
Source: Aids.org
