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Page 21
| Wounds and Skin Conditions |
| Early written reports of echinacea's role in helping to heal wounds led to a significant amount of research to determine the actions responsible for this effect. In the 1940s, researchers confirmed that echinacea, applied topically, stimulated the healing of suppurative wounds. Beginning in the 1950s, numerous researchers determined that echinacea inhibited the production or activity of an enzyme known as hyaluronidase, a finding that has since been well-established. Hyaluronidase stimulates the breakdown of hyaluronic acid which is the ''intercellular cement'' that keeps tissues together. Hyaluronic acid serves several functions with regard to wound healing. First, it regulates the flow and content of water in some tissues, which can help to alleviate swelling associated with inflammation; second, it provides the backbone by which molecules necessary for the formation of connective tissue form; third, it positively affects the activity of T-lynaphocytes and enhances phagocytosis, thereby helping to fight inflammation which can otherwise slow the healing of wounds. |
| Since then, other wound-healing mechanisms of echinacea have been identified, including its ability to help in the implantation of fibroblasts, stabilize collagen and increase clotting time and phagocytosis. Fibroblasts are specialized cells that aid in the repairing of damaged tissue. In conjunction with the inhibition of hyaluronidase described above, echinacea is able to minimize the damage caused by acute inflammation while simultaneously aiding in the regeneration of connective tissue and epidermal (skin) cells.8 |
| Collagen is the main protein building block of |
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