I was sitting across from one of my students who’s a surgeon now studying at the University of Sydney and I was telling her how much energy this specific tablet gave me in the morning. Aside from the notable 1,000mg of Vitamin C (which Dr. Mark Hyman says taking between 1,000-2,000 a day relieves you of contipation), it has one of the most unique ingredients of the last five hundred years – echinacea.
Echinacea is a North American Coneflower that Native American Indians used over 400 years ago as a herbal remedy. After the 1950’s, when antibiotics became more prominent, echinacea lost it’s touch in the medicinal realm. However, being formulated into tablets today and also being available in liquid form, the benefits of this is becoming more apparent. So, with that being said, lets go over some of these benefits.
- Combats Cancer – Dr. Axe recently stated that this is being used as a natural cancer treatment.
The medicinal value of phytochemicals contained in Echinacea is clearly evident and indicates that these agents, as well as phytochemicals not yet discovered in other herbs, may be valuable tools to combat tutors.
2. Boosts the Immune System
Published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, the University of Connecticut performed a meta-analysis study that evaluated 14 studies and determined that:
- Echinacea cuts the chances of catching a common cold by 58 percent.
- Echinacea reduces the duration of the common cold by almost one-and-a-half days.
The significance of that finding becomes clear when you consider Americans suffer from one billion colds annually and spend about $1.5 billion annually for doctor’s visits and another $2 billion annually on non-prescription cough and cold treatments. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conversation Service said that 10 milligrams of echinacea per one kilgram of body weight, taken daily over a 10-day period, is effective as an immune system stimulant. For those of you who have rampant colds, especially here in Thai society, this could definitely be useful and it has helped me nurse a few upper respiratory infections in the past.
3. Helps Alleviate Pain –Echinacea’s history began when echinacea purpurea was used by the Great Plains Indians as a painkiller. It’s especially effective for the following types of pain:
- Pain in the bowels
- Pain associated with headaches
- Pain associated with HSV (Herpes)
- Pain associated with gonorrhea
- Pain associated with measles
- Snake bites
- Sore throats
- Stomach ache
- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
During class and my long teaching days, if I’m ever tired or have a headache, an effervescent tablet in a cold glass of water not only wakes me up, but alleviates the headache. Also, those who suffer from bloating, especially in the evenings, a glass of water and a drop in liquid form could reduce the discomfort significantly.
4. On top of function as a laxative (relieving constipation) and anti-inflammatory (for those runners on my page), it also helps skin problems.
In a paper prepared by Armando González Stuart, PhD, about herbal safety, it describes how echinacea has been used by various Native American tribes to treat:
- Arthropod bites
- Eczema
- Inflammatory skin conditions
- Psoriasis
- Snakebite
- Skin infections
- Stings
- Wound healing
- It can also be used to regenerate skin.
From improving mental health such as anxiety, depression and a few other things, to combatting infections; the relief of upper respiratory infections is stout.
- Acute sinusitis
- All flu’s
- Common cold
- Croup
- Diphtheria
- Inflammation
- Strep throat
- Tuberculosis
- Whooping cough
Yes, you read it. TB and whooping cough are on the list. However, if you don’t believe me, you’re more than happy to do some research on the endless list of articles out there about echinacea. Here’s my podcast on it and a nice little brochure: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/9169356
