From: gilliam@rudkin.fccc.edu (Jon Charles Gilliam)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: purple coneflowers
Date: 5 Oct 1994 12:19:42 GMT

> cave@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Kandace Cave) writes:
>> My mother had some flowers she got from the next door neighbor, who
>> called them African daisies.  They dominated the west flowerbed for
>> years.  Just this last year I found out they were echinacea.  I was
>> delighted, since they are reputedly used as an herbal remedy for
>> boosting the immune system against colds, flu, etc.  I just want to
>> know when to harvest them (roots?).  They are beginning to die
>> down. Echinacea is not cheap in the health food stores.  I'd like to
>> try my own.

(melnick@stsci.edu) Rita Melnick writes:
> If you check some of the herbal echinacea compounds in the health
> food stores, you'll find that some use the whole plant and not just
> the woody roots.  Also, there are 2 different types used
> medicinally: the echinacea purpurea (most common in gardens) and
> echinacea angustifolia, which either grows wild or is specially
> cultivated.

   Here's what I do with my purple coneflowers to make a tincture to
guard against colds and bolster the immune system.

  - Pick the flower stalks while in full bloom, including several rows
    of the leaves.

  - Coarsely chop the stalks by hand and place them into a food processor
    or blender.  Process until you have a fibery mash.

  - Place in a glass container, fill to just cover with vodka, and seal
    with a lid.  Store in a dark place, shaking the bottle every day for
    two weeks.

  - Strain the mash through a cloth using a funnel, and wring the cloth
    and mash to get all the liquid you can.  Discard the mash, sweeten
    the tincture to taste with sugar, and place into a permanent storage
    container (dark & sealed).

  - When you feel the first signs of a cold or other illness coming
    on, begin taking 3-4 Tbs. of the tincture a day for up to a week.
    Alternately, take a Tbs a day for a week every other week through
    the cold season.

   I have also heard that the roots (harvested after the second year)
are better for use than the rest of the plant, but I've had good luck
with the flower stalks (speaking from personal experience without any
controlled testing of any sort), which saves me from digging up roots
in my flower beds :^).

Bright blessings,
:jon