Echinacea purpurea - echinacea purpurea

The family Asteraceae or Compositae (Asteraceae).

The botanical characteristics. Perennial herb direct stem height 50 - 150 cm Leaves alternate, simple, oval, toothed on the edge, the bottom -. Dlinnochereshkovye, upper - sessile. The flowers are small, are located on the ends of the stems in the form of baskets, edge - dlinnoyazychkovye, fruit, purple, dark red, or yellow, the median - tubular, bisexual. The fruit - achene. Flowering in August - October.

Spread. Homeland plants - the eastern United States. In other regions, it cultivated as an ornamental plant. For vegetable raw materials started commercial cultivation of plants.

Used parts of the plant. For drugs used roots, harvested in autumn or early spring, and the blossoms and leaves. In Western Europe, the plant is used in traditional medicine.

Chemical composition. Roots of plants contain glycoside ehinokozid, betaine, phytosterols and resins which include palmitic, linoleic and other acids tsirotinovaya. All parts of the plant contains volatile oil, potassium compounds, magnesium, iron and aluminum.

The use of Echinacea purpurea in medicine

Preparations of Echinacea purpurea are active stimulators of immunity . They stimulate the central nervous system, increase sexual potency, promotes healing of wounds, burns and ulcers. Using Echinacea purpurea is effective in sepsis, the parameters of various inflammatory processes of internal organs, mental depression states, phenomena of physical and nervous exhaustion, acute and chronic infectious diseases.

It should be noted that even with prolonged use of drugs Echinacea purpurea arises nervous system depression, as it may be observed when receiving Schisandra chinensis preparations.

preparation

• Root tincture of Echinacea purpurea (pharmaceutical preparation) is prepared at a mass ratio of 1:10 at 70% alcohol. Take 20 - 30 drops 3 times a day on doctor's orders.
• Echinacea purpurea compress (outer): 20 - 60 drops of Echinacea purpurea tinctures are diluted in 100 ml of isotonic sodium chloride solution (0.85%) and used as a wet compress. Used in conjunction with an inner infusion technique for enhancing the therapeutic effect in the affected joints.