Echinacea

Continuing the “Summer of Herbs”, we’re talking about echinacea today!

This is one plant that I definitely recommend as a staple in North American home apothecaries.

Let’s check it out:

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Echinacea pallida

Preferred Habitat: Meadows, grassy areas, often not far from a water source and often growing near wild bergamot and other wild coneflower species.

Edible Parts: Flowers, leaves, roots

Distribution: There are various species of echinacea all mostly concentrated in the Eastern United States, but only 3 are commonly used in herbal medicine (more on that later).

Harvest Season: Summer while flowers are in bloom, or fall for the roots.

Key Identifiers: Large cone-shaped flower head (almost like a badminton birdy) with purple-pink petals and a hard almost spiky center. The plants typically stand 2-4ft tall at maturity.

Toxic Look-Alikes: There are no look alikes that can be confused for echinacea once they’ve started flowering. The only similar species I can think of are other cone flowers or Rudbekia species but both have noticeably different flowers.

Medicinal Benefits:

Echinacea is interesting because unlike most other wild plants I write about, there actually is a lot of research and proof to back up the health claims! (Queue the applause)

Here are the proven benefits as well as some folk uses:

• Roots and flowers contain very high levels of antioxidants including flavonoids, cichoric acid, and rosemarinic acid.

• Echinacea has been proven to actively strengthen the immune system and help the body recover faster from illness.

• Traditionally used to fight the common cold and similar illnesses like sore throats, bronchitis, and tonsil infections.

• Reduces sugar content from being absorbed into the blood stream.

• Studies suggest echinacea can improve insulin sensitivity.

• Contains compounds that reduce anxiety.

• Anti-inflammatory properties which makes it good for treating rashes and similar skin conditions among other things.

• Reduces memory loss caused by inflammation

• Echinacea extract can alleviate some common skin conditions such as acne, wrinkles, and dry skin.

• Echinacea extract contains cancer-fighting compounds (surprise surprise) that not only suppress cancer cells, but actively trigger cancer cell death.

• Antibacterial properties.

• Antiseptic properties.

*Note one caution below when taking echinacea

Uses

There are limited forms to take echinacea in since it isn’t really a culinary flower. Typically echinacea is taken as a tea, extract, oil, powder, or added to other syrups and medicinal beverages! I have also heard of it being added to bone broth for extra health benefits or being juiced fresh to put in tinctures.

I would hazard a guess that it can be used for balms and soaps as well since it was traditionally used for poultices on wounds, but in a quick search I wasn’t seeing any recipes for it.

That said, there’s no harm in adding the petals to desserts or something along with other edible flowers, it’s just not really eaten for the flavor as much as the medicinal benefits.

Growth Habits

Echinacea is a native plant in the Eastern United States, so it tends to want to grow.

That said, make sure you give it lots of sun and soil that isn’t ultra sandy or too clay-heavy. I only say this because I usually only see it in medium soil in grasslands rather than in heavy clay in the woods.

Echinacea is a great pollinator flower to have that attracts bees and butterflies and is highly ornamental for the landscape and garden.

Echinacea is a perennial so it takes a couple years to flower, but once it does it will keep coming back year after year.

I would recommend not harvesting any until it flower so you are certain what it is and can mark the spot to come back to in the fall if you’re going to harvest any roots!

Additional Information

One caution I would give is to not take too much echinacea or it can have the opposite effect on your immune system.

There’s no exact dosage recommended, but people typically say not to have more than a couple cups of echinacea tea daily and to take it no longer than 10-14 days before taking a break and letting it work through your body.

I would apply similar logic to the tincture and just take a few drops per day for a week or two then stop for another week or two before continuing. Echinacea is pretty potent stuff!

I would also be intentional about where you source echinacea supplements because about 10% of all echinacea supplements were found to not actually contain any echinacea at all! (Absolutely wild I know).

The best source is sustainably sourced wild fresh echinacea or home-grown. If you can’t get any and would like some, either reach out to me if you’re local and I can get you some, or I’d buy from somewhere like Mountain Rose Herbs or Foraged Market.

(Those are not affiliate links, I just trust both companies)

And lastly before we get to the cultivars, only three main species are used for herbalism typically even though there are multiple other species.

This isn’t because they are dangerous or anything, it’s simply because there isn’t as much research to know if the same compounds exist in the same quantities as the main three species.

If you choose to experiment, just make sure you aren’t picking endangered or protected species of echinacea, check your state guidelines! (And if you aren’t sure, don’t harvest the roots, and make sure to replant more seeds in case it needs your help!)

Cultivars

Being such a popular ornamental, there actually are a number of beautiful cultivars!

• Paradiso Mix - A multi-colored mix of echinacea with cream, pale yellow, pink, magenta, and orange flowers!

• Green Twister - A bicolored green-magenta variety that almost looks like a Dr. Seuss flower to me.

• Mellow Yellow - A soft, pale, butter yellow echinacea variety perfect for the modern American farmhouse landscape or a cottagecore home (This is a variety I’m growing right now from seed).

• Alan’s Pride - A vibrant green variety that has green petals and a green center! Very whimsical and interesting.

• Paradiso Super-Duper - A double-petaled variety that looks almost fluffy and is a pretty rose-pink.

• Pow-wow White - A pure white variety that almost looks reminiscent of daisies.

• Cheyenne Spirit - A warm-tone mix of reds, deep oranges, and gold colored echinacea.

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