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| determine the quality of an echinacea root is to taste it. If it causes a "buzzing" or tingling sensation, it is of good quality. Today, some of the echinacea sold commercially is actually adulterated with parthenium integrifolium, an herb in the aster family called prairie dock or Missouri snakeroot, which has different actions from echinacea. |
| Echinacea works well in either teas or tinctures, but one of the active constituents, isobutylamides, is only soluble in alcohol. Although the root is most commonly used, effective preparations can be made which include seeds, flowers and leaves. Two teaspoons of the tincture every one to two hours for five days at the earliest stage of infection is an effective dose. Some people find they get better results by using the following shotgun approach when they feel a cold coming on: One hour before bed, take one 1/2 ounce of echinacea tincture. Then, just before bed, take another 1/2 ounce. Proponents claim that by morning, their cold symptoms are just a memory. |
| Elecampane |
| (Inula helenium) |
| Part used: Root |
| Actions: Expectorant, antimicrobial, diaphoretic, diuretic, alterative, tonic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antitussive, anti-inflammatory |
| Indications: Long used as a safe tonic herb, this stimulating expectorant is a specific for bronchial coughs, especially in children and in the elderly. Whenever there is copious sticky mucus in the lungs, with a chronic, wet, rattling cough, as in bronchitis or emphysema, elecampane is indicated. Once a specific for tuberculosis, this striking, yellow-flowered plant is an excellent decongestant. |
| It is a bitter, aromatic tonic which increases appetite, promotes digestion and increases sweating, making it a good choice for those recuperating from the flu. Useful for chronic inflammatory conditions, elecampane may also |
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