Boost your resistance with Echinacea!

The Echinacea Purpurea, also known as red coneflower, is not only a beautiful ornamental plant for the garden, it is also a plant with great medicinal properties. 

The Indians in North America knew this hundreds of years ago. They used the plant as a disinfectant against wounds, bites and even a toothache. Eventually, Western doctors took Echinacea to Europe, making it extremely popular here as well. This popularity also appears to be justified: various scientific studies have already demonstrated the medicinal effect of the purple coneflower.

What is Echinacea?

The Echinacea Purpurea is a perennial plant that originally comes from North America, but can also survive in our regions. If the red coneflower gets a spot in the sun, it can grow up to 120 cm!The plant owes its name to its striking purple-red flowers and spiky seed head. The word 'echinacea' is derived from the Greek word 'echinos', which means 'hedgehog'. 'Purpurea' refers to the bright color of the flower.

The main benefits of Echinacea

Both the flowers and the leaf, stem and root of the purple coneflower are used in all kinds of preparations and nutritional supplements because of their medicinal effect. But what is the exact effect of Echinacea? We summarize the most important advantages for you.

Strengthen your immune system

The most important and probably best known benefit of the plant is that it strengthens our immune system. This is due to the presence of various healing ingredients. First and foremost, Echinacea contains polysaccharides. These are long sugar chains that stimulate the functioning of our white blood cells. These blood corpuscles play an important role in fighting harmful invaders, such as viruses and bacteria. In addition, you will also find flavonoids in the purple coneflower, a type of powerful antioxidants that are essential for the absorption of vitamin C and the maintenance of our capillary walls.

Furthermore, Echinacea also contains polyacetylene. This substance is very deadly for certain fungi and bacteria, so our resistance is given a helping hand again.Despite its healing properties, Echinacea cannot make you immune to all diseases. Thanks to the plant, however, your body will heal faster, and the symptoms of, for example, a flu or a cold will be less severe.

Fight acne and wrinkles

Especially among teenagers and young adults, acne is a common skin problem, which can also cause a lot of irritation. Treatments are often expensive and do not always have the desired effect. That is why it can be useful to try an echinacea -based lotion before switching to an expensive treatment. The plant stimulates cell renewal and minimizes scar tissue, bringing your skin back to life. Promoted cell renewal also prevents wrinkles. So with Echinacea you kill two birds with one stone!

Go for radiant hair 

Do you suffer from dull hair or dandruff ? Echinacea helps you out! As mentioned earlier, the plant contains components that fight against certain fungi and bacteria. The same goes for the bacteria that cause dandruff. A shampoo with Echinacea will ensure that your hair is purified, so that it also regains its natural shine.

How to use?

Echinacea clearly has a lot of benefits to offer. But how can you add this remedy to your daily routine? There are various possibilities. For example, many skin care creams and shampoos with Echinacea extracts are available. In addition, you will find tablets, capsules, drops, nutritional supplements and even tea based on Echinacea in many natural stores and drugstores. For example, coneflower food supplements can be taken to strengthen natural resistance during periods of temporary stress or fatigue, bad weather conditions, or other external factors that can have a negative impact on our immune system. Echinacea can also simply be used preventively.

Sideis impea has a stimulating effect on the body, which can cause the production of certain substances to become unbalanced. For example, prolonged use of the plant can lead to an insufficient production of certain antibodies and an excessive production of certain vitamins. In addition, Echinacea can also provoke allergic reactions in rare cases. These reactions mainly occur in children. Therefore, the use of this plant is not recommended in children under the age of twelve and in pregnant women. If you are not sure about the use and dosage of Echinacea, it is best to visit your doctor first.