PURPLE CONEFLOWER
Echinacea purpurea, other Echinacea species

Location
Along the path south and between the Lombardi Cancer Center and the Pre-Clinical Science Building against the black rail; west of the fountain.

Description
The purple coneflower rays are reddish purple, and droop.  The flowerhead is about two and a half to four inches wide with a bristly center.  The lower leaves are egg-shaped and have long stalks.  The entire flower stands two to five feet high and can be seen from summer to fall (Newcomb 1977).

History
Echinacea species are native to the prairie region of the United States.  Native Americans have used the roots, leaves, and seeds medicinally (Kiple 2000).

Echinacea was traditionally used to treat many kinds of infection, including syphilis, typhoid, and malaria. Echinacea was also used to treat boils, abscesses, rheumatism, migraines, dyspepsia, pain, wounds, eczema, dizziness, rattlesnake bites, bee stings, and hemorrhoids (NMCD 2000).

The purple coneflowers, including E. purpurea, E. pallida, and E. paradoxa (so named because it is a yellow “purple coneflower”) are popular ornamental plants.

Current Medicinal Uses
Echinacea extracts are widely sold for treating and preventing colds and other infections. The three Echinacea species used commercially are E. purpurea, E. angustifolia and E. pallida. Preparations include root extracts, pressed juice of E. purpurea herb (aerial parts), and mixtures of herb and root. The predominant mechanism of action of echinacea extracts appears to be through stimulation of phagocytosis (Fugh-Berman 2003).

The majority of clinical research studies have found that echinacea preparations help to shorten the duration of colds.  However, every trial performed that has looked at whether echinacea can prevent colds has found no benefit (Fugh-Berman 2003).

References
Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J, ed. Herbal Medicine. Integrative Medicine Communications, Newton, 2000.

Foster S, Duke JA. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1990.

Fugh-Berman A. Echinacea for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory infections. Seminars in Integrative Medicine 2003;1(2):106-111.

Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Tiger Books International, London, 1998 (first published in 1931 by Jonathan Cape Ltd).

Kiple KF, Ornelas KC, ed. The Cambridge World History of Food. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Therapeutic Research Faculty, Stockton, 2000.

Newcomb L. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1977.