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ECHINACEA-INFORMATION

Echinacea purpura are large daisylike flowers with swept-back reddish-purple rays. Lower leaves are long-stalked, tapering, with rough teeth. They grow to two or three feet tall. Found in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia south. Echinacea pallida are paler or more pinkish purple. Lower leaves lanceolate, parallel-veined, withoutteeth. They grow two to four feet tall and are found Nebraska to Michigan and south..

ECHINACEA preparations are usually obtained from dried rhisome of Echinacea species. However, some cultures use the entire above ground parts of the E. purpurea plant or the expressed juice of the flower. Constituents of the root include inulin, inuloid, sucrose, vulose, betaine, resins, fatty acids, and two phytosterols. Echinacea has a slight aromatic smell, with sweetish taste, leaving a tingling sensation in the mouth.

Constituents of Echinacea include: polysaccharides, flavonoids, caffeic acid derivatives, alkylamines, essential oils, polyacetylenes. However, the main bioactive substance in Echinacea appear to be its sugars. How can sugars account for the claims that Echinacea increases body resistance to infection, reducing inflammation, and claims that it prevents a common cold?

A WORD OF WARNING TO THE READER OF THIS PAGE. Some preparations of Echinacea may also contain Parthenium integrifolium (Wild Quinine). These are also daisy-like flowers. They have five tiny ray flowers; basal leaves are large, toothed, rough, and long stalked. Grow one to three feet tall. Found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, New York and south. P. integrifolium contains parthenin or parthenicin. - action unknown. Also some preparations of Echinacea may contain the herb goldenseal, or vitamin C. THE OBVIOUS QUESTION TO ASK IS: WHY ARE SOME OF THESE ITEMS ADDED TO ECHINACEA PREPARATIONS, IF ECHINACEA WORKS AS CLAIMED? Is the consumer made aware that they are not purchasing pure echinacea?

Consumer Reports ( - March 1999 -p 44-48 ) article on Herbal s - The promises and pitfalls, approached Echinacea products by analyzing 12 brands for the phenolic compounds caffeoyl-tartaric acid, chlorogenic acid, cichoric acid and echinacoside. "Most products cite the amount of echinacea per pill (50-500 milligrams), instead of phenolic compounds. But by a guideline some products use, those compounds should make up at least 4 percent of the echinacea claimed for each pill." Their data showed that phenolic compound percentages ranged from 0.8 to 4.5. Another very important point made was that pills in different bottles, even within a brand, had different percentages. "The amount of those compounds per pill also varied, from an average of 2 milligrams in Nature Made, to more than 10 milligrams, in Nature's Herbs." "Given the different dosages among products, someone taking the recommended dose of One-A-Day could consume about 2 milligrams of phenolic compounds per day, while someone taking Nature's Herbs could consume more than 90 milligrams."

"Americans spend more than $300 million a year for this wildflower, touted as a cold remedy. Are they getting what they pay for?

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