- This article is about the flowering plant. For Superorder Echinacea (Echinodermata) see Sea urchin
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 Echinacea purpurea Maxima'
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Echinacea, commonly called Purple Coneflower, is a genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the family Asteraceae. Sea urchins are small globular spiny sea cat animals composing most of class Echinoidea. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Dicotyledons, or "dicots", is a name for a group of Flowering plants whose Seed typically has two embryonic leaves or Cotyledons There The Asterales are an order of Dicotyledonous Flowering plants which include the composite family Asteraceae ( Sunflowers daisies The family Asteraceae or Compositae (known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) is the largest family of Flowering The tribe Heliantheae is the most familiar tribe of the Sunflower family ( Asteraceae) A herbaceous plant (or in botanical use a Herb) is a Plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of The family Asteraceae or Compositae (known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) is the largest family of Flowering All are strictly native to eastern and central North America. The plants have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. Some species are used in herbal medicines. Herbalism is a traditional Medicinal or Folk medicine practice based on the use of Plants and Plant extracts Herbalism is also known as
The genus name is from the Greek echino, meaning "spiny", due to the spiny central disk. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly They are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing to 1 or 2 m in height. A herbaceous plant (or in botanical use a Herb) is a Plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of A perennial plant or perennial ( Latin per, "through" annus, "year" is a Plant that lives for more than The leaves are lanceolate to elliptic, 10–20 cm long and 1. 5–10 cm broad. Like all asteraceae, the flowers are a composite inflorescence, with purple (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head — "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone. An inflorescence is a group or cluster of Flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main Branch or a complicated arrangement of branches
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Species
The species of Echinacea are
- Echinacea angustifolia - Narrow-leaf Coneflower
- Echinacea atrorubens - Topeka Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea laevigata - Smooth Coneflower, Smooth Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea pallida - Pale Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea paradoxa - Yellow Coneflower, Bush's Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower, Eastern Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea sanguinea - Sanguine purple coneflower
- Echinacea simulata - Wavyleaf Purple Coneflower
- Echinacea tennesseensis - Tennessee Coneflower
Medicinal effects
A controlled double-blind study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and documented in the New England Journal of Medicine[1] stated that echinacea extracts had "no clinically significant effects" on rates of infection or duration or intensity of symptoms. Echinacea angustifolia ( Narrow-leaved purple coneflower, blacksamson echinacea) is a herbaceous Plant Species in Asteraceae Echinacea atrorubens - Topeka Purple Coneflower is a herbaceous Perennial plant growing from 50 to 90 cm tall from elongate-turbinate Roots Echinacea laevigata, the smooth purple coneflower, is a federally listed Endangered plant found in the piedmont of the southeastern Echinacea pallida (Nutt the Pale Purple Cone-flower, is a Herbaceous perennial plant growing from a Taproot in the family Asteraceae Echinacea paradoxa ( Bush's purple coneflower, Yellow Coneflower) is a perennial species of Flowering plant in the genus Echinacea purpurea ( Eastern purple coneflower; syn Brauneria purpurea ( L Echinacea simulata McGregor Sida Wavy-leaf purple coneflower or Pale purple coneflower is a species of herbaceous plant in family Asteraceae Echinacea tennesseensis ( Tennessee coneflower) is a Flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, endemic to the Cedar glades The blind method is a part of the Scientific method, used to prevent research outcomes from being influenced by either the Placebo effect or the Observer The effects held when the herb was taken immediately following infectious exposure and when taken as a prophylaxis starting a week prior to exposure. Prophylaxis ( Greek "προφυλάσσω" to guard or prevent beforehand) is any medical or Public health procedure whose purpose
An earlier University of Maryland review based on 13 European studies concluded that echinacea, when taken at first sign of a cold, reduced cold symptoms or shortened their duration. [2] The review also found that three of four published studies concluded that taking echinacea to prevent a cold was ineffective.
As with any herbal preparation, individual doses may vary significantly in active chemical composition. In addition to poor process control which may affect inter- and intra-batch homogeneity, species, plant part, extraction method, and contamination or adulteration with other products all lead to variability between products. [3][4]
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) assessed the body of evidence and approved the use of expressed juice and dried expressed juice from fresh flowering aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea for the short-term prevention and treatment of the common cold. The European Medicines Agency ( EMEA) is a European agency for the evaluation of medicinal products. Echinacea purpurea ( Eastern purple coneflower; syn Brauneria purpurea ( L According to their recommendations,
It should not be used for more than 10 days. The use in children below 1 year of age is contraindicated, because of theoretically possible undesirable effect on immature immune system. The use in children between 1 and 12 years of age is not recommended, because efficacy has not been sufficiently documented although specific risks are not documented. In the absence of sufficient data, the use in pregnancy and lactation is not recommended. [5]
Assessment report is also published. [6]
Popular belief and traditional use
Echinacea is popularly believed to be an immunostimulator, stimulating the body's non-specific immune system and warding off infections. Immunostimulators are substances (drugs and nutrients that stimulate the Immune system by inducing activation or increasing activity of any of its components An immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an Organism that protects against Disease by identifying and killing Pathogens and Tumor An infection is the detrimental Colonization of a host Organism by a foreign Species. A common reference source for believers is a 2007 meta-analysis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases[7]; however, this study fails to indicate important confounding factors that could drive the reported conclusion. In Statistics, a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses The studies pooled in the meta-analysis used different types of echinacea, different parts of the plant, and various dosages. This review cannot inform recommendations on the efficacy of any particular type of echinacea, dosage, or treatment regimen. The safety of echinacea under long-term use is also unknown. [8]
History
Echinacea angustifolia rhizome was used by North American Plains Indians, perhaps more than most other plants, for various herbal remedies. The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Echinacea was one of the basic antimicrobial herbs of eclectic medicine from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century, and its use was documented for snakebite and anthrax. Eclectic medicine was a branch of American medicine which made use of botanical remedies along with other substances and physical therapy practices popular in the latter half In the 1930s echinacea became popular in both Europe and America as an herbal medicine.
Active substances
Like most crude drugs from plant or animal origin, the constituent base for echinacea is complex, consisting of a wide variety of chemicals of variable effect and potency. Some chemicals may be directly antimicrobial, while others may work at stimulating or modulating different parts of the immune system. All species have chemical compounds called phenols, which are common to many other plants. In Organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of Chemical compounds consisting of a Hydroxyl group (- Both the phenol compounds cichoric and caftaric are present in E. purpurea, other phenols include echinacoside, which is found in greater levels within E. angustifolia and E. pallida roots than in other species. When making herbal remedies, these phenols can serve as markers for the quantity of raw echinacea in the product. Other chemical constituents that may be important in echinacea health effects include alkylamides and polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are relatively complex Carbohydrates They are Polymers made up of many Monosaccharides joined together by Glycosidic bonds
Root or whole plant
As with any plant, the chemical makeup of echinacea is not consistent throughout the organism. In particular, the root has been promoted as containing a more efficacious mixture of active chemicals. A 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Taylor et al. 2003[9]) found that when echinacea products made from the entire plant were taken after the second cold symptom appeared they provided no measurable beneficial effect for children in treating the severity or duration of symptoms caused by the common cold virus. The study has been criticized for using whole-plant extracts instead of root extracts, and the dosages studied were lower than those recommended by herbalists. A 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine (Turner, 2005[1]) focused on several root extracts, but still found no statistically significant effects on duration, intensity, or prevention of symptoms.
Frequency of administration
Proponents of echinacea assert that it is not a "one-dose" treatment, and that in order to work effectively, a dose should be taken at the very first sign of a cold symptom. Subsequent doses are called for every two to four hours after the first dose, including during the overnight sleeping period, until the cold symptoms have disappeared.
Species
The several species of echinacea differ in their precise chemical constitution, and may provide variable dosages of any active ingredients.
Side effects and contraindications
Reported adverse effects of echinacea include nausea, dizziness, dyspnea, rash, dermatitis, pruritis, and hepatotoxicity. Nausea ( Latin: Nausea, Greek:, " Sea-sickness " also called wamble) is the sensation of unease and discomfort Many different terms are often used to describe what is collectively known as dizziness. Dyspnea or dyspnoea (pronounced disp-nee-ah, IPA /dɪsp'niə/ from Latin dyspnoea, from Greek dyspnoia from A rash is a change of the Skin which affects its color appearance or Texture. Dermatitis is a Blanket term meaning any " Inflammation of the skin" (e Itch ( Latin: pruritus) is an unpleasant Sensation that evokes the desire or Reflex to scratch Drug metabolism in liver The human body identifies almost all drugs as foreign substances (i These tend to be infrequent, mild, and transient. [10][11] Echinacea should not be taken by persons with progressive systemic and auto-immune disorders, connective tissue disorders, or related diseases. It should not be used with immunosuppressants or hepatotoxic drugs,[11][12] and has the potential to interfere with anesthesia. An immunosuppressant is a substance that performs Immunosuppression of the Immune system. Drug metabolism in liver The human body identifies almost all drugs as foreign substances (i [13]
In one investigation by an independent consumer testing laboratory, 5 of 11 selected retail echinacea products failed quality testing. Four of the failing products contained measured levels of phenols believed to be related to potency below the levels stated on the labels. One failing product was contaminated with lead. [4]
Other uses
Some species of echinacea, notably E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, are grown as ornamental plants in gardens. Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower Garden or as House plants Most commonly they are grown for the display of their Flowers Other common [14] They tolerate a wide variety of conditions, maintain attractive foliage throughout the season, and multiply rapidly. Appropriate species are used in prairie restorations. Prairie, from the French prairie ("meadow" "grassland" "pasture" refers to an area of land of low topographic relief that historically
References
- ^ a b Turner, Ronald B. ; Rudolf Bauer, Karin Woelkart, Thomas C. Hulsey, and J. David Gangemi (2005-07-28). "An Evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in Experimental Rhinovirus Infections". The New England Journal of Medicine 353: 341-348. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 16049208.
- ^ Paul Bergner. "Healing Power of Echinacea and Goldenseal and Other Immune System Herbs" (The Healing Power)1997
- ^ Linde K, et al. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jan 25;(1):CD000530
- ^ a b Product Review: Echinacea. ConsumerLab. com, LLC (2004-03-18). "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Retrieved on 2007-08-02. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the
- ^ EMEA Monograph on Echinacea purpurea[1]
- ^ Human Medicines - Herbal Medicinal Products
- ^ Shah SA, Sander S, White CM, Rinaldi M, Coleman CI. Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2007 Jul;7(7):473-80. [2]
- ^ Caruso TJ, Gwaltney JM (2005). "Treatment of the common cold with echinacea: a structured review". Clin. Infect. Dis. 40 (6): 807-10. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 15736012.
- ^ "Efficacy and safety of echinacea in treating upper respiratory tract infections in children: a randomized controlled trial", Taylor, J. A., et al. 2003., Journal of the American Medical Association 2003 Dec 3;290(21):2824-30
- ^ Cheeseman, Mark (2002-12-13). See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Echinacea. Complementary Medicines Summary. UK Medicines Information, National Health Service. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although Retrieved on 2007-07-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death
- ^ a b Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic is a Non-profit medical practice Its headquarters the Mayo Medical School and its research facilities are in Rochester Minnesota in Echinacea (E. angustifolia DC, E. pallida, E. purpurea). Retrieved on 2007-12-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the
- ^ Miller LG (1998). "Herbal medicinals: selected clinical considerations focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions". Arch. Intern. Med. 158 (20): 2200-11. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 9818800.
- ^ Echinacea. American Cancer Society (2007-06-26). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Retrieved on 2008-03-24. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland
- ^ "A Comprehensive Echinacea Germplasm Collection Located at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station", USDA
External links
- Echinacea at the Open Directory Project
- Echinacea - the wonder herb (reprinted from The Skeptic Winter 2007)
- American Botanical Council Web site Echinacea information from The American Botanical Council
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