Beat the Next Flu and Cold Virus Season with Echinacea – Nature’s Immunity Booster

Looking at Echinacea’s reputation through history is like riding a roller coaster:  It’s up, it’s down, it’s up again.  Before European colonists showed up, the Plains Indians were using this native North American wildflower as a healing herb.  In fact, Native Americans learned of Echinacea angustifolia by observing elk seeking out the plants and consuming them when sick or wounded, and identified those plants as elk root.  The colonists started using it too, and in the 1870s, a Nebraska doctor popularized it as a “blood purifier” and snakebite remedy.
For years, most households in th8is country kept tincture of Echinacea on hand as an infection fighter.  With the advent of antibiotics, however, the herb fell from favor.
Now, thanks to modern medical science, Echinacea is once again receiving favorable attention.  Although it’s no substitute for antibiotics and probably won’t heal snake bites, this herb holds some promise as an immune system booster after all.  In order to re-establish its reputation as a healer, however, this American herb had to do a little traveling.  In Germany, extensive research overt eh past few decades has uncovered a host of infection fighting properties.
“The herb normalizes the number of white blood cells in the blood and helps them surround and destroy bacteria and viruses,” says Dr. Mowrey.  It also slows the spread of infection to surrounding tissue and helps flush toxins away from infected areas , he says.
In several studies, injections of concentrated compounds derived from Echinacea caused people’s immune systems to activate macrophages.  These germ-gobbling cells are crucial to beating infection, and they may have antitumor activity as well.  Echinacea may even play a role in curbing the misery of colds and flu.  In one study done in Germany, liquid Echinacea extract was shown to help ease the symptoms of influenza and speed recovery.
Applied externally as a poultice to wounds, sores, and burns, Echinacea may also protect against infection and stimulate tissue repair and healing.

How to Take Echinacea
To battle a cold or the flu, take Echinacea at the first sign of symptoms.  To duplicate the German flu study, you can take about a teaspoonful of alcohol based tincture a day.
A tea made from Echinacea provides a tasty but somewhat less potent alternative.  To make a tea, pour boiling water over two to three tablespoons of dried, fresh, or powdered herb and steep for five minutes.  Sip over a period of 30 to 90 minutes, and repeat six to eight hours later.

Make Sure it’s the Real Thing
The lack of standardization in American herbal products makes it hard to guarantee even an approximate dosage of a particular compound.  There have also been reports of Echinacea products being adulterated with other herbs.  Therefore, only purchase herbal products from well-established, reputable suppliers.  Echinacea is generally considered safe, although an allergic reaction is always a possibility.   Discontinue use if you experience any adverse effects.

We recommend visiting Native Remedies, they have a wide variety of echinacea products. Click the following link to take advantage of a special offer (Buy two get one free) from Native Remedies…