Echinacea // More than just a cold remedy
One might call her a wonder herb, a star amongst the flowers of the Americas. Treasured by the Indigenous Plains tribes of the grasslands of Northern America, she used to be everywhere, filling acres of fields with her bright eyes. As European settlers learned the uses of this herb from the native healers, the settlers missed the part about holding her as sacred. As they plowed up the grasslands to create agricultural fields, the habitat of Echinacea was diminished, and now she can only be found in pockets of prairie. Today she is used by both the descendants of indigenous tribes and of the settlers, and is one of the most commercially available herbs in North America and Europe. In our modern time herb farmers cultivate fields of echinacea and we must agree to use only herb that comes from cultivated sources, and leave her to rest in the wild.
I grew her in my garden once, and she was the first plant that "spoke" to me. Playful and bright, I knew she was something very special. Many years later I have learned quite a bit about this plant, so let us dive in, shall we?
When you brush your hand across her bristly top, you can feel her strength. When you feel the softness of her purple petals, you can relish her gentleness. She will defend your body against deadly infections and inflammations; if you use her with gusto she will respond with equal enthusiasm in your favor. Popular in mainstream thought as an herb for the common cold, she is so much more. Echinacea's powers are only accessible when used in large doses, so if you feel that bagged tea you drank or that capsule you popped didn't do much, you were right. You would be better off chewing on the fresh root, as the Native Americans originally did.
Echinacea is immune stimulating and highly anti-inflammatory, and can be used to treat acute infections as well as a preventative when you anticipate exposure to pathogens or circumstances that strain the body like surgery, travel, pregnancy, etc. It also contains cannbanoids that both relax the nervous system and decrease inflammation rapidly. Some herbalists consider Echincaea to be an adaptogen for this reason.
Echinacea has been recorded to successfully help the body fight off strep throat, staph infections, mastitis, pneumeonia, septicemia, gangrene, gonhorrea, syphilis, venomous snake bites, and yes, a bad case of the sniffles. It may seem scary to rely on an herb instead of antibiotics, but consider echinacea as an ally along with antibiotics (she will not limit their effectiveness in any way) or in an event in which you have an antibiotic-resistant infection and need help fast. Of course, you can always choose to forgo antibiotics entirely and use her instead, but it is extremely important to follow the protocols detailed below, given to me by my teacher Susun Weed.
Here is how to use her effectively. The root is the base for the medicine, and the leaves and flowers can be included for a super-remedy. This is a plant that needs to be used fresh as much as possible, so seek remedies made from the fresh root of Echinacea angustifolia or E. Purpurea. If you desire to use her dry, use only Echinacea angustifolia root.
Traditional Method for Resolving Acute Infections
Fresh Root Tincture:
Adults- One dropperful for every 50 pounds of your weight (if you weigh 150 pounds, your dose is three dropperfuls). Drink the tincture dose in a cup of water as often as every 30 minutes for a severe infection, or at least every 2 hours. Do this for 2 days, or until the infection shows signs of lessening. After the infection begins to pass, reduce frequency to 6 times a day for 5 more days. This will give you one week of acute treatment. Continue drinking the tincture for one more week, same dose but now only 3-4 times per day. You will have now taken Echinacea for two weeks straight, and resolved your infection.
Children/Babies - Dose is 1 drop per pound, to be taken one time per day. Echinacea tingles the mouth so be sure to dilute it somehow. A great technique is to give a bottle of tincture + water if the child is old enough. If breastfeeding, you can also take adult doses of the tincture and it will pass on in your breast milk.
**if you have an infected wound, you can also apply drops of tincture straight onto the wound to ease pain and inflammation while taking it internally.
Infusion:
Adults- Infuse 1 oz. of dry or fresh root into 1 pint of just boiled water for 8 hours. Drink at least 2 cups a day, throughout the day, by the spoonful if need be for 7 days. Then infuse 1 oz. of root into 1 quart of just boiled water and steep for 8 hours. Drink the quart throughout the day. Do this every day for 7 days, completing a total of two weeks of use. I do not have an infusion dose information for children or babies, but again if you are breastfeeding you yourself can drink the infusion and your baby will receive the medicine of the herb safely through your milk.
To Address Chronic/Recurring Infections
Try this method for prolonged or recurring infections such as bartholin's cysts, recurring vaginal infections, venereal disease, chronic lung infections, chronic UTI's, bronchitis, or wounds that will not heal.
Follow the courses of action above in the following pattern:
2 weeks of acute use.
2 weeks off.
2 weeks of acute use.
This should kick the infection, and now you can concentrate on nourishing your immune system over a long period of time with Echinacea or another immune-herb like astragalus.
To continue working with echinacea, follow with preventative dose (see below) for several months, following the 2 weeks on/2 weeks off pattern.
Preventative Course
If you are going to be engaging in an environment that includes a lot of new pathogens, like traveling on an airplane, admission to a hospital, going to school, working with groups of small children, etc. consider using Echinacea to give you an immune system boost before hand. This is also useful if you will be entering a new season, or committing to something that will put extra stress on your body, like surgery, chemo/radiation treatment, a stressful work project, child-bearing, or intensive experiences. Let Echinacea help you enter into the experience as strong as possible.
Fresh Root Chew:
Chew a 1-2 inch piece of the fresh root, sucking on it as you go. Do this 1-2 times a day as needed or desired. An intuitive, wise woman way of engaging with the plant that is credited to the dozens of Plains Tribes of Northern America. Enjoy the tingle on your tongue!
Fresh Root Tincture: 1 dropperful diluted in water 2 times per day for at least 5 days. You can continue this mild dose in a 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off pattern for several weeks if you feel you need or want long-term support.
Infusion: 1 oz. of fresh or dried root infused in 1 quart of just boiled water. Drink at least 2 cups a day for at least 5 days. Drink weekly for long term use support.
Welcome to the wonders of Echinacea. We love her, we thank her, and we do our best to respect her need to be left alone in the wild by growing her ourselves or only using ethical sources that are from cultivated plants, grown with as little harm to the environment as possible.
If you are excited to try Echinacea and do not have any in your local area, or would like to buy some Echinacea Angustifolia in bulk, please check out my Resources page for recommendations of ethical herb companies following sustainable practices. Scroll to the bottom of the Resources page for the list!
To make your own fresh root tincture, gather the root, leaving a small portion behind so the plant will regrow. Wash the dirt off. Chop the root into small pieces until it fills the jar 7/8 full (the larger the amount, the better!). Pour the strongest vodka you can find over the root until the jar is full. Cap and let it for at least 6 weeks, ideally a year. You can also do a Year Long whole plant brew, by starting the tincture in the spring time with the fully open flowers and leaves, letting it sit and then adding the root(s) in the fall. Let this whole concoction brew for at least 6 weeks to a year. Shake you brewing tinctures when you remember, to say hello. After brewing strain the herb (or don't!) and store in a dark bottle in a cool, dark place. Echinacea will naturally have sediment on the bottom of the jar. This is normal. A tingly feeling on the tongue when tasting the tincture means you did it well!
Shield herb, protector and friend. Hail Echinacea!
In Love,
Susan Marie
Please note that I am not a certified medical professional, and that this information is provided for educational purposes only and is to be taken at your discretion. You are responsible for any foods or substances you choose to use, and if in doubt should consult your certified health professional of choice.