The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Echinacea
The Power of Herbs: Herbs and Spices

ORIGINS

Echinacea is a genus that includes several flowering plants in the daisy family. These coneflowers, as they’re called, have pink or purple petals and are native to North America. The word echinacea comes from the Latin echinus, meaning “sea urchin”—a reference to the plant’s bristly seed head.

HISTORY/LORE

The Plains Native Americans used echinacea root as a painkiller and to treat colds, sore throats, wounds, and snakebites. The purple coneflower is still harvested by the Lakota people for medicinal uses. Echinacea was very popular in the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but its use declined after the introduction of antibiotics.

USES

Healing Uses: Echinacea raises white blood cell count, stimulates the immune system, and has anti-carcinogenic, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Chew on the root or drink as tea to fight infection or prevent colds and flu—or to decrease their duration if they have already taken hold. To relieve skin inflammation, burns, or insect bites, saturate a compress in echinacea tea and place on the affected area. Echinacea essential oil is very useful with massage. Rub it on the temples and the back of the neck to relieve tension in the head, neck, and shoulders.

Magical Uses: Echinacea grown around the house brings prosperity and protects the family from suffering. It can also be used as an offering to the spirits or to enhance the power of spells. Burn echinacea as incense in cleansing rituals, making sure to let the smoke waft freely throughout the space.

Personal/Spiritual Growth: Many spiritual and physical ailments are a result of denying who you really are. Echinacea awakens the true inner self and assists in integrating that self with the outside world. This plant is also useful during major transitions, giving you strength and stamina in times of change. Echinacea also brings the mind and body into balance, creating a sense of inner harmony.