Echinacea, also know as cone flower, is an herb native to the US east of the Rocky Mountains. It’s name is derived from a Greek word meaning sea urchin, and it’s not too hard to see why. 

Echinacea is a science star. 

It’s made of sugar and spice and everything nice compounds such as phenolics, alkylamides and polysaccharide/glycoproteins that researchers and supplement manufactures just can’t get enough of.  

This starlet may one day have a role in treating your fungal infections or inflammation, and believe it or not…boosting the immune response of farm raised trout…if this study(1) is to be believed.  However, other research(2) suggests Echinacea may only deserve a spot on the B List. Under well controlled conditions, another group found supplementation with the herb MAY HAVE reduced cold duration, A LITTLE BIT.

I took these photos on my first trip to a Missouri glade about eight years ago. Long ago a third of the state was covered in treeless wildflower expanse. Today, it’s an endangered ecosystem. Luckily, this patch is protected as a conservation area. So, look but don’t pluck!

1. Parsons JL, Cameron SI, Harris CS, Smith ML. Echinacea biotechnology: advances, commercialization and future considerations. Pharm Biol. 2018;56(1):485-494. doi:10.1080/13880209.2018.1501583
2. Barrett B, Brown R, Rakel D, et al. Echinacea for treating the common cold: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(12):769-777. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-153-12-201012210-00003