A bit of American history


The Many Varieties of The Herb Echinacea Or The Coneflower

The coneflower or the Herb Echinacea hasThere are two kinds of purple
caused a great splash with gardeners andconeflowers, the Pale Purple coneflower
herbalists in the past couple of years.and the Purple coneflower. The pale
There have been many studies done inpurple coneflower is 3-6 inches in
Germany which seems to support the ideasdiameter. It is best situated in sunny
that the coneflower does indeed boostsites with good drainage. It is found in
the immune system. Gardeners love thethe Midwest and south to Louisiana.
Herb Echinacea because of it hardinessThese three feet tall plants start their
and long blooming season July throughblooming in July and will last until the
fall. Herbalists love it for itsfrost months.
medicinal qualities. The plant was namedThe Purple Coneflower, known for its
from the Greek "echinos" meaningmedicinal qualities is the most widely
Hedgehog. It is believed that theyused of the species. Most gardeners
named it that for its sharp and pointymake use of this Echinacea herb. This is
flower bracts. The conical center is whya big plant, three to four feet tall
it is called Coneflower. In addition,with large flowers about four to six
gardeners love the fact that the Herbinches in diameter. The flowers are
Echinacea attracts birds andquite lovely with reddish purple petals
butterflies.tipped in green. The centers are orange
There are nine species of theand there petals will droop. They are
coneflower. All of them are native toso droopy that in the Ozarks their name
North America. We will be examiningis droopy. There leaves can be jagged or
four of the species that are widelysmooth and are a medium green color.
available. You can choose oneMany florists use these in their
coneflower or mix it up with two orarrangements because of their durable
three to make it more interesting.stalks.
For a smaller coneflower (10 to 24The Herb Echinacea was revered by the
inches) choose the Black SampsonNative Americans and in Montana they are
variety. The plant grows from thealarmed that it is being over harvested.
Canadian border south, all the way toThey used the coneflower to treat
Texas. The stems of this plant arehealth problems like respiratory
hairy, with narrow leaves and rose pinkinfections and snakebites. In the 19th
flowers. This is the smallest of thecentury Echinacea was use to purify
Echinacea species. The flowers are 2 ½blood. It was also used to treat
to 3 inches in diameter when in fulldizziness. In the next century, before
bloom.the use of antibiotics, it was used to
The research on the Herb Echinaceatreat colds and flu. Now it is popular
suggests that the medicinal qualities ofin treating upper respiratory illness.
the Echinacea are in the roots.It is becoming increasing popular in
Unfortunately, mass collection of thereducing itch and to soothe the skin.
Black Sampson has endangered it.If using the Herb Echinacea for
Tennessee Coneflower is also on themedicinal purposes it is best used in
endangered list. This coneflower onlyits fresh state. The plant must grow for
grows in central Tennessee and the U.S.three years before the roots become
Fish and Wildlife agency licenses thebeneficial. If you are buying the Herb
nurseries planning on selling thisEchinacea from a health food store, chew
species. This Herb Echinacea will growa small piece first. If it does not
two or 3 feet.. The leaves are anumb your tongue and you don't produce
darkish green with flowers that are amore saliva, the roots are either too
deep pink with green centers andold or improperly dried. It is not
upturned petals.healthy to ingest Echinacea over a long
As noted above, the nurseries must beperiod of time. Give your immune system
licensed, so look to the internet fora break so you do not build up a
sources.tolerance for Echinacea.



1 A B C 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94