History of Echinacea
Native Americans (e.g., Blackfoot Comanche, Sioux, and Cheyenne) have historically used echinacea as an herbal medicine for a variety of conditions, including:(3, 7)
They also used echinacea to treat animals. For example, smoke from echinacea was used for distemper in horses.(10)
Interestingly, each tribe employed the different echinacea species to treat different conditions. For example:(3, 7, 10)
- Comanche used E. purpurea for sore throats while the Delaware Indians used it as an antiviral against syphilis. The Dakota employed E. purpurea as an antidote for poisoning.
- The Sioux applied E. pallida to treat snake bites while the Cheyenne used it to alleviate cold symptoms and rashes.
- Crow people used E. angustifolia for pain relief and to treat snake bites, earaches, and pneumonia.
Settlers in colonial times also began using echinacea as an herbal medicine. By the late 1700s and into the early 1900s it was a popular herbal remedy.(3)
Use of echinacea tapered off in the U.S. shortly after that when questions over its effectiveness arose. In recent years, however, interest in echinacea as an herbal medicine has grown dramatically.(3)
Around the same time that interest in echinacea was waning in the U.S., a German pharmaceutical manufacturer introduced E. purpurea to Germany. Since then most modern research on echinacea has been conducted in Germany.(3, 11)
Based on study results, the German government has approved the aerial parts of E. purpurea and the root of E. pallida as supportive therapy in:(3, 11)
- Common cold and other upper respiratory infections
- Lower urinary tract infections
The German commission has not approved aerial portions of E. pallida or any part of E. angustifolia yet. That's because modern studies haven't established their effectiveness.(3, 11)
However, many supplements include the roots and aerial parts of all three echinacea species. E. purpurea is typically the most prevalent ingredient.(3, 11)