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| fiers, it is especially beneficial for infections and inflammations. It increases the proliferation of stem cells in both the bone marrow and lymphatic tissue, where immune cells are produced. It also increases the number and activity of these immunocompetent cells in the blood and lymph systems. Some of the documented research on echinacea shows that it promotes blood clotting in wound healing and it works better than cortisone in keeping infections localized. It increases leukocyte production in bone marrow in radiology patients and it is an effective antibiotic against bacterial infections, including Streptococcus and Staphylococcus. Echinacea protects cells against viral infections including herpes, canker sores and influenza and may have tumor-inhibiting capabilities. |
| Recent German research indicates that in a comparison of three commonly used echinacea species (E. angustifolia, E. pallida and E. purpurea), E. purpurea appeared to have the strongest action. Most authorities and American herbals of the 20th century usually claim that E. angustifolia is the best one to use. The German study is interesting since, with the growing popularity of echinacea, several wild species, including E. angustifolia, are becoming threatened. |
| E. purpurea is the easiest to grow, and the market supply of it comes from cultivated, rather than wild-harvested plants. If you buy E. purpurea, you are helping to prevent the depletion of echinacea in the wild. In addition, E. purpurea shows slightly more phagocytosis (the destruction of bacteria and foreign bodies by macrophages) than either E. pallida or E. angustifolia. Steven Foster, long considered one of the U.S. authorities on echinacea, believes that E. purpurea is unequivocally the best species to use. |
| It is the isobutylamides, primary components of echinacea, that cause the tingling or numbing sensation on the tongue. Some experts claim that one of the best ways to |
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