Over the last few decades, herbal remedies have surged in popularity.
Many of us are looking for alternatives to traditional western medicines, particularly when it comes to everyday ailments like viruses and the common cold.
And one herb has stood out above all the rest as a common cold and flu remedy, and that herb is called Echinacea.
Echniacea is one of the top healing herbs to have in your life because it has been proven to boost your immune system and to help prevent or shorten the duration of colds and flu.
Echinacea helps to reduce the pain of a sore throat and, if you get tonsillitis or bronchitis, it is really good at relieving the discomfort.
You Can Have a Healthier Immune System
One reason everyone should have access to Echinacea is the fact that it can help you have a better immune system.
Echinacea has properties that can keep you from infections, cold, flu, and various related illnesses.
This doesn’t mean a little echinacea is going to resolve a major case of the flu, but that when you use it regularly, your immune system becomes stronger, so your body will be better at fighting these infections.
It can also help to reduce the severity of these illnesses and the length you have them.
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What Is Echinacea?
Echinacea comes from a flowering plant called the Coneflower that closely resembles the common daisy, and is a member of the same family.
This perennial plant can live for as many as 5 or 6 years, and can grow to be as tall as 4 feet.
The flowers are usually pink or purple with a larger multicoloured centre cone that holds the seeds.
There are about 9 different types of wild coneflower on several different continents.
One of the interesting things about the wild coneflower, is that it doesn’t have any type of distinct smell until after it has been pollinated, when it has a vanilla-ish scent.
History of Echinacea
Echinacea was discovered by Native American people when they noticed that animals’ wounds healed more quickly after they were observed feeding on the coneflowers.
Over time, Native American people experimented with Echinacea by extracting juices from the flower to try to use it to treat various other illness like coughs, infections, and open wounds like snake bites.
This knowledge was passed to Europeans when they came to the continent, and as time moved forward, the settlers began using the herb in trade and for medicinal purposes.
Eventually, the herbs began to make their way to other areas of the globe.
Today, Echinacea is mostly used as an immune support supplement.
Scientists have put an enormous amount of work into cross breeding the plant, and creating all kinds of new varieties with an array of colors to suit the purposes of interested consumers.
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| Nature's Way Echinacea Purpurea Herb |
How Echinacea Works
Studies of Echinacea have revealed that they contain an impressive multitude of natural chemicals that can aid healing processes.
These chemicals include alkamides, polysaccharides, and glycoproteins.
These tiny nutrients can help provide you with an easy source of accessible nutrition that your body can quickly use to incorporate into healing.
Efficiency of absorption means faster healing times on a physical level.
Another factor helps this process are phenols, which are antioxidant in nature.
When the anti-inflammatory parts of the plant interact with wounded areas, the arrested swelling makes it easier for the body to repair itself, because the purpose of inflammation is to protect the wound until healing is safe to take place.
By taking a healing herb like Echinacea, the herb can kill many of the harmful agents surrounding the injury, bring down the inflammation, and use its tiny bits of nutrients to rebuild to the damaged area.
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| Gaia Herbs Echinacea Supreme |
Benefits of Echinacea
Echinacea has had a rich history of contributing to the lives of the people who cultivate it.
With hundreds of years of use and experimentation, the benefits of echinacea have become firmly established by both science and history.
Here are some of the benefts of echniacea:
1. Reduces Pain
Perhaps one of the most overlooked of the attributes of echinacea is its ability to arrest the body's natural pain reception.
The two best ways to use echinacea for pain relief would be to either make a tea from the plant, or to apply it topically directly to the area affected.
Native people learned that the plant could be chewed or drank it in a tea to reduce toothaches, and this use for pain relief began to extend beyond dental application.
In ancient times, echinacea was used to treat all sorts of injuries, but it is believed that the practice came from using it to tend snake bites.
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| Source Naturals Herbal Resistance |
2. Immune Support
The most common way that echinacea is currently used is simply for immune support.
Usually found in pill or liquid form, these supplements can be bought over the counter, but for maximum benefits get the purist form of echinacea.
The Vogel products are best for this rather than some cheaper supermarket alternative that may be mixed with cheap fillers os not particularly effective.
It has been noted that those who regularly consume echinacea generally experience colds and flus for about half of the length of most people. It also reduces the severity and chances of getting colds.
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| Oregon's Wild Harvest Echinacea |
3. Kills Infections
Another way that echinacea is a great ally to your immune system, is that it can directly fight off infections.
When micro-organisms get into the body, a weak immune system could expose you to the possibility of being overrun with illness.
Echinacea helps the body by killing these agents, and some have even noted that it can kill serious viral infections.
It can’t eliminate these viruses, but it can keep them low enough to reduce appearances of some of the more serious symptoms that are caused by these illnesses.
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| Herb Pharm Organic Rapid Immune Boost |
4. Helps Your Breathing
Have you ever had issues with asthma, strep throat, or a crouping cough?
Echinacea is especially good at dealing with upper respiratory issues.
In recent years, studies have revealed that echinacea has performed comparably to traditional medicines for asthma, because it was quick to reduce inflammation of the bronchial tubes and lungs.
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| Gaia Herbs Quick Defense |
In addition to these health benefits, echinacea is also soothing and relaxing, so it can help you get better sleep, improve overall stress and anxiety, and simple help with your general health and wellness.
If you start an herbal medicine cabinet, make sure you always have some Echinacea on hand.
More tips to boost your immune system this winter:
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