Common to the Unites States, the herbs Echinacea purpurea and E angustifolia and even E pallida are all considered to be immune boosting medicinal herbs of the same species with very similar healthful effects.

18. Purple Coneflower, or E. purpurea, is taken in tincture form by millions today for defeating the common cold and flu.

We must look back in history to get some ideas into perspective. There was a time when the common cold could kill a person. Now we simply deal with the sniffles, maybe coughing, and being tired, and go on to work. In a few days we feel much better.

The Native Americans used herbs to treat the sick. Echinacea was used by many tribes including, the Sioux, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Pawnee, the Plains Indians and probably many more that have not been documented yet. All had maybe different uses like headaches, coughs, sore throats and as an analgesic.

Internally and externally this herb, also called purple coneflower, has been used for bacterial and viral infections, wounds, ear infections, acne, colds and flu, bronchitis, to stimulate the immune system, to stimulate phagocytosis, blood cleansing, psoriasis, tonsillitis, congestion, to stimulate T-cell formation, to stimulate the production of white blood cells, for sinusitis, chronic infections of the upper respiratory tract, and lower urinary tract and chronic ulcerations.

There are contraindications for people with auto immune diseases. It is also not to be used by people with progressive systemic diseases like tuberculosis, leucosis, collagenosis, and multiple sclerosis.

Also this herb has been used for diphtheria, and putrid fevers, hemorrhoids, boils, syphilis, cancer, diseases of the blood, septicaemia, and erysipelas.

E. angustifolia tea can be good to use for sour stomach and heartburn.

E. purpurea decoction can be used as a mouthwash for gingivitis and pyorrhea.

Contained within this fine herb is also a supply of copper, iodine, iron, sulphur, potassium, and vitamins C, A and E.

Many people already know about it, and use it for change of season immune system boosting because this is when people seem to be more prone to catching what is going around.

Echinacea increases interferon production. If you do not know about interferon, it alerts the body to prepare itself to deal with an invader. This can be useful before a stressful event or when traveling, or any time that you are going to be around a mass of other people.

Echinacea works as a preventative. It is useful in preventing middle ear infections, upper respiratory tract infections, oral or genital herpes, tonsillitis, contact dermatitis, thrush, or even a recurring yeast infection.

There are many complementary herbs and minerals that can be taken together with Purple Coneflower.

There are many complementary herbs and minerals that can be taken together with Purple Coneflower. However the optimum dose for E.Purpurea is 14 days but not to be taken for longer than 8 weeks. Taken all the time it will lose the effect of being a booster to your system.

Usually paired with echinacea for combined strength in boosting your immune system are astragalus, elderberry, zinc, goldenseal, and my favorite, reishi, each having their own health benefitting properties as well.

E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida are all of the same species and have basically the same therapeutic effects, even though some of these plants have different constituents.

Plant phenols have health boosting properties. All three contain phenols but each have some different phenols than the others. E.purpurea contains cichoric acid and caftaric acid as phenols, where E. angustifolia and E. pallida have the phenolic compound echinacoside, which is also higher in them than in other species.

Echinacea also contains polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkylamides, and lipophilic, which are fat soluble, compounds which are health benefits as well.

There has been some knowledge that these great herbs also have anti-tumor properties.

The many immunological effects of this fine herb are all still with use of the leaf as well as the root and even the seed. The many different combinations the many brands use in their process seem to give the same basic effect.

The effect being that it shortens the durations of a cold or flu. What a benefit!

No one likes to be in bed with the flu or go to work, or anywhere, with a cold. And no one else likes to be confronted with a person sniffling and coughing because they are sick, in the same place they also have to be.

I can only suggest that this year, everyone go buy a tincture, tea, or tablets of this fine herb for the seasonal change.

It would also be a good idea for when the students go back to college, and come back from college breaks. And when the little kids come home from school every day with whatever they caught at school from another child.

My favorite echinacea product is no longer made. I forget the brand now but it was a tincture of E.purpurea with astragalus, and reishi. This tincture worked quicker and better than all the rest. It worked when others did not. Why is it that when I find something that really works well for me, the company quits making it?

That is not really true but it sure seems that way when you cannot find something. I searched all over to try and find my favorite product and to no avail. I finally found out that they quit making it. I now have to buy a reishi tincture…and buy an Echinacea tincture…and buy an astragalus tincture.

If you cannot buy all three then I suggest buying the astragalus and the reishi. But, if nothing else, taking the reishi tincture will benefit anyone the most.

You would not have to go through that because now you can just go to ShopMotherEarth and put something in the search box and it will come up where you could look for it. How much simpler that is than what I went through.

Mother, which is me, just thought that finding a health product should be easier than what I went through. That is why I created ShopMotherEarth, for you.

You will find the real benefit in Echinacea when everyone else around you is in bed nursing their affliction and you are the only one in good health and still working, and going out to have fun.

You were the smart one who bought the right tincture, and knew to take it at the first sign of getting something or having been exposed to something, to get through the fall season happily with flying colors…and no sick days.