Title: Echinacea
Additional Names: Purple coneflower
Literature References: Perennial plant of the family Compositae (Asteraceae). Habit. North American plains and southeast U.S.; cultivated in Europe. Widely used in traditional medicine as an immunostimulant. Medicinal formulations are prepared from the roots and aerial parts of three species: E. angustifolia DC, E. pallida (Nutt.) Nutt. or E. purpurea (L.) Moench. Constit. Alkamides such as echinacein, caffeic acid esters such as echinacoside, polysaccharides, volatile oil. Isoln of constituents from E. augustifolia DC: A. Stoll et al., Helv. Chim. Acta 33, 1877 (1950); M. Jacobson, Science 120, 1028 (1954). Analysis of alkamides: X. He et al., J. Chromatogr. A 815, 205 (1998); of volatile components: G. Mazza, T. Cottrell, J. Agric. Food Chem. 47, 3081 (1999). Review of clinical trials in treatment of upper respiratory infection: B. Barrett et al., J. Fam. Pract. 48, 628-635 (1999); of use in Native American medicine: A. T. Borchers et al., Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 72, 339-347 (2000).
Therap-Cat: In treatment of respiratory infections. |