Echinacea is one of the better known herbal supplements for promoting immune system function, but that isn't all it can be good for. There are also multiple ways to take echinacea, so surely one of them will be easy for anyone.
What is it?
Echinacea is a perennial plant, that can grow to approximately 1-2 feet tall. It has pointed flowers, and may be a shade of purple or pink, depending on the species.
The plant is native to North America, and grows best in prairies or open wooded areas. There are 9 species of echinacea, but the 3 this article focuses on are the ones used in herbal supplements, Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pallida.
How can it be taken?
The upper parts of the plant, as well as the root, may be used in tablets or capsules, extracts, or as a dried herb for teas.
Benefits?
Many potential benefits of the echinacea plant have been identified, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and larvicidal properties have been reported in experimental studies. Different classes of secondary metabolites of the plant such as alkamides, caffeic acid derivatives, polysaccharides, and glycoproteins are believed to be biologically and pharmacologically active as well. (1)
What does that actually mean though?
Of course, echinacea is most widely known for being a strong immune system booster. It is shown to be effective in not only stimulating the immune system but also for prevention and treatment of some types of infections. That's not all though, echinacea has shown to be useful in other ways as well.
Blood Sugar Regulation - A 2017 study revealed that echinacea supplementation and subsequent levels in the blood stream can help reduce blood sugar spikes or crashes. (2)
Anti - Inflammatory - Known to possess anti-inflammatory properties in clinical studies, echinacea is being utilized to aid conditions such as Chron's, Rheumatoid Arthritis. The compound helps to keep the body's inflammatory response down, and as such provide some relief in these cases.
Blood Pressure? - There is still research ongoing as to the effects of echinacea on blood pressure, but so far those results look promising.
Product Options
Here are a few products we carry for echinacea, or that have echinacea in them.
- Nature's Way Echinacea Complex 100C
- Nature's Plus AgeLoss Immune Support 90VC
- Source Naturals Wellness Formula 90T
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441164/
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312135104_Antioxidant_Antidiabetic_and_Antihypertensive_Properties_of_Echinacea_purpurea_Flower_Extract_and_Caffeic_Acid_Derivatives_Using_In_Vitro_Models