The Benefits and Uses of Echinacea – and How to Grow Your Own!

August 18th, 2018

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

Echinacea: The All-American Flower

Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower, is a member of the Asteraceae family, a large plant family composed of 23,600 species. Well-known members of this family include dandelion, cudweed, artichokes, lettuce and sunflower. It is considered to be an economically important group because many of its members are cultivated as food crops.1

Native Americans were the first to use echinacea over 400 years ago. Before the rise of antibiotics, it was used as a general cure for various infections and wounds, such as malaria, scarlet fever and syphilis.2 There are over a dozen varieties of echinacea, and they can grow anywhere from 1.5 to 5 feet in height. Each variety has its own unique color, making the Echinacea family a popular fixture in gardens throughout America.3

Benefits of Using Echinacea

Centuries ago, Native Americans primarily used echinacea to help treat the common cold. It still serves that purpose today, but its uses have expanded to:

Boosting your immune system: The compounds in echinacea may help improve your immune system. In a study published in Integrative Cancer Therapies, echinacea has been shown to help reduce the severity and duration of colds if it is administered right away once symptoms appear. However, if you use echinacea several days after getting a cold, it won’t have much of an effect.

CONTINUE READING:

Recommended articles by Dr. Joseph Mercola:

• Harvest of Greed – The Merger of Bayer and Monsanto
• Aspartame: The Bitter Truth Behind This Toxic Sweetener
• Why Depression is NOT Caused by a Chemical Imbalance
• Toxic Weed Killer Glyphosate Found in Most Foods Sold in the U.S.
• The Harmful Effects of Electromagnetic Fields Explained
• The Magic Healing Power of Mushrooms
• Cannabis: A Lost History
• 13 Mind-Body Techniques That Can Help Ease Pain and Depression
• What Happens to Your Body When You Use Medical Marijuana?
• Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
• Baking Soda — An Inexpensive Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases Like Arthritis

• FACEBOOK]: http://www.facebook.com/joinwakeupworld (An interactive community of over 3,800,000)

  [PINTEREST]: http://pinterest.com/wakeupword/

  [TWITTER]:  http://twitter.com/joinwakeupworld

  [YOUTUBE]: http://www.youtube.com/joinwakeupworld          

  [GOOGLE PLUS]: https://plus.google.com/112452105795129310867/posts

  [WEBSITE]: http://wakeup-world.com