A popular beautiful flowering tall perennial with a pubescent stem and a slightly “prickly” name, which in Greek means “hedgehog,” is purple coneflower. The flowers, stem, leaves and root of this plant are used for medicinal purposes by folk and official medicine. Ready-made alcohol tincture of Echinacea can be bought at pharmacies. But broths and water infusion from all parts of the plant, as well as herbal tea, for the preparation of which flowers are used, are no less useful.
Echinacea, whose medicinal properties are manifested in the activation of the body's protective (immune) forces against colds, has proved its antibacterial and antiviral effect. Its preparations facilitate the course of common infectious diseases, such as tonsillitis and flu. With the help of a plant that has a life-giving bactericidal power, it treats otitis media, stomatitis, bronchitis, urogenital organs, psoriasis, eczema, burns, and wounds. Phytotherapists recommend the use of echinacea medications inside for overwork, hepatitis, prostatitis, impotence, infertility. The plant is used for severe acute and chronic diseases - cerebral meningitis, typhoid fever, diphtheria, osteomyelitis, rheumatoid arthritis.
To whom is Echinacea contraindicated ? The flowers and seeds of a plant containing essential oil should be used with caution in persons prone to allergies. You can not give drugs to young children under the age of two. It is forbidden to take the plant to pregnant and lactating women.
Where did Echinacea come from and whatFlowers and other parts of the plant contain biologically active substances. This perennial, growing in the wild of America and known as the healer among the Indians, has long moved to other continents. Here he soon gained popularity. For example, the German Pharmacopoeia uses echinacea to prepare two hundred medicines. The chemical composition of the plant contains bitterness, mucus, resins, flavonoids, tannins, enzymes, oils, vitamins, organic acids, polysaccharides, trace elements, and another valuable substance with a strong bactericidal effect - echinacoside. The core root and rhizomes contain inulin - an easily digestible natural substitute for carbohydrates - starch and sugar.
How to prepare a medicine from the Echinacea plant
Flowers, stem, leaves, root, seeds of it - all come in handy for making tea, decoctions, infusions and tinctures - simple and affordable medicines. With a general weakening of immunity - especially in the autumn period - drink herbal tea, where the only component may be echinacea. How to brew? Pour boiling water into a cup with two or three flowers, let it brew for 10 minutes under the lid - and the tea is ready. You can sweeten it with honey, if, of course, there are no disorders of carbohydrate metabolism.
To enhance the therapeutic effect, you can prepare a mixture of natural immunomodulators. Take dry grass or Echinacea root, licorice root, plantain leaves,
mallow flowers, rose hips - all in equal parts. Grind and mix raw materials. On 1 tbsp. l mixes need 1 cup boiling water. Tea is insisted in a closed cup for 10 minutes. Drink in warm sips 1/2 cup 3 times a day.
For the broth, they usually take dry crushed raw materials (leaves, root, flowers) in the amount of 1 tbsp. l and pour hot water - 1 glass. All should be warmed up for 20 minutes, placed in a water bath, then insist an hour. Filter and add boiled water to a glass. You need to drink in several receptions per day. They are treated with Echinacea a month. Then a month break is made. She has no adverse side effect.
In pharmacies they sell alcohol tincture of echinacea - the necessary concentration of the medicinal plant is observed in it.