Echinacea augustifolia: Traditional and Contemporary applications

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Echinacea augustifolia Traditional and
Contemporary applications
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Research Interest

• Examine the historical use of Echinacea among
  North American Aboriginals.
• Examine conventional application
• Examine Pharmacological Properties

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Echinacea agustifolia

• Common Names Kansas Snakeroot, Snakeroot, Purple
  Coneflower, Scurvy Root, Comb Flower, Black
  Susan, and Hedge Hog.

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Plant Characteristics

• Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
• 9 species of Echinacea (purpurea, pallida)
• Grows on barrens and dry prairies
• Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska,
  Iowa, N. and S. Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming,
  Montana, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

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Geographic Distribution
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Geographic Range
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Plant Characteristics

• Perennial herb with a woody tap root.
• Leaves are alternate, simple, and narrowly
  lance-shaped 5-30 cm long and 1.5- 4 cm wide.
• Flowers bloom from June to July.
• 3-4 years for roots to reach harvestable size

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Plant Characteristics

• A mature 2-year old plant yields 2.25 pounds of
  fresh flowering aerial portions and .5 pounds of
  fresh root per plant.

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Characteristics

• Grows up to 60 cm in height.
• Ligules are 5 cm and the pollen is yellow.
• Slow grower, resulting in a weak competitor to
  surrounding weeds.
• Weak competitor and human harvest.

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• E. agustifolia

• E. purpurea

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Plains Aboriginals
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Aboriginals

• Most widely used herb amongst the Plains
  Aboriginals.
• Cheyenne,Dakota, Fox, Winnebago, Ponca, Pawnee,
  Omaha, Lakota, Teton Sioux, Crees, Black feet,
  Assiniboines, etc.
• Basically every tribe inhabiting the area.

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Practical Uses

• Used generically as a painkiller
• Toothaches, coughs, colds, sore throats, antidote
  for snake bites, anti-convulsive,
  gastro-intestinal aid, used as a smoke treatment
  to cure headaches, used as an anesthetic, used to
  cure mumps and small pox, smoke was used to treat
  distempered horses, eye wash, hydrophobia,
  gonorrhea, etc.

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Specifically

• Cheyenne chewed the root to stimulate the flow of
  saliva during the Sun Dance ritual as a thirst
  preventative.

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Specifically

• Poultice of smashed roots were applied as an
  anesthetic to burns and cuts by the Omaha.

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Contd

• If cows or horses did not eat well, Echinacea was
  administered in its feed.

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Contd

• Teton Sioux used it to cure tonsillitis.
• Used by Dakota, Pawnee, Ponca, and Winnebago to
  increase endurance during the sweat lodge
  ceremony.
• A wash of Echinacea was used as a dressing for
  burns to relieve pain by the Dakota, Winnebago,
  Omaha, Pawnee, and Ponca.
• Basically, it was used for everything.

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Contemporary Application

• Echinacea remains widely used as a herbal remedy,
  primarily as an immuno-stimulant.

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Contemporary Application

• Injection infection, wound healing,
  polyarthritis, pertussis in children, upper
  respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis,
  chronic skin ulcers, etc.
• Active Ingredient Isobutylamides, Echinacoside,
  Polyaccharides (Echinacin)

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Contemporary Application

• North America sold in the form of dry roots,
  capsules, tablets, crude extracts, tinctures.
• Prescribed medically in Germany Injectable
  preparations shivering, vomiting, fever, and
  headache.
• Major component Echinacin- product made from the
  juice of fresh plant tops.

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Contemporary Application

• antiseptic, as a laxative, as an aperitif, as a
  sudorific (increases sweating), as an
  aphrodisiac, for coughs, for breast cancer, as a
  depurative (cleans vital organs), for sore
  throats and fevers, as a therapeutic agent
  (alterative), and finally as a sialogogue (agent
  that produces saliva).

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Major Pharmacological Effects

• 1. Wound-Healinginhibits hyaluronidase through a
  polysaccharide called Echinacin B that forms a
  complex with hyaluronic acid, making it resistant
  to attack by hyaluronidase, which leads to an
  increase in hyaluronic acid production, fibrosis,
  and the formation of fibroblasts necessary for
  wound healing
• 2. Antibiotic properties Streptococcus and
  Staphylococcus aureus

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Major Pharmacological Effects

• 3. Anti-inflammatory properties (antiexudative
  properties)
• 4. Stimulates the immune system promotes
  non-specific cellular immunity contains
  polysaccharide molecules that have
  immuno-stimulatory properties.
• 10 mg/Kg daily dose over 10-day period resulted
  in en effective immuno-stimulant.

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Major Pharmacological Effects

• However, increases in daily doses beyond this
  level markedly decreased pharmacological
  activities.
• 5. Anti-cancer pentane-oil extracted from the
  root was found to be inhibitory to Walker
  carcinosarcoma 256 and P-388 lymphocytic leukemia

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Contemporary Application

• Echinacea remains a significant herb.
• However, some commercial products are sketchy, so
  be cautious when purchasing these products.

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Conclusion

• Traditional application is complimented by
  conventional understanding.

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References

• http//www.kbs.ku.edu/people/staff_www/kindscher/e
  chinacea/images/e_angustifolia_021705.jpg
• Plains Map- http//www.historycooperative.org/jour
  nals/jah/90.3/images/hamalainen_fig01a.gif

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References