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Echinacea

Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench

Asteraceae // aerial parts · root

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Uses & evidence

Uses and evidence recorded
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Preparation

decoction, tincture, powder/capsule, standardized extract, +2 more
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Safety

Safety information available
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Research

No linked research on file
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Overview

Plant parts

aerial parts, root

Known constituents

alkamides, caffeic-acid derivatives, polysaccharides

Research corpus coverage

Materia medicaPet safety

Chemistry notes

  • CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include alkamides; caffeic-acid derivatives; polysaccharides; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.

Uses & Evidence

Traditional / historical use

Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.

  • TRADITIONAL: Echinacea has been used for colds; respiratory infections; wound care; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.

    MODERATE · evidence synthesis/fact sheet · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

Modern evidence

  • EVIDENCE: For the major use set (colds; respiratory infections; wound care), the evidence assessment is limited/mixed: Limited/mixed systematic reviews and trials for preventing or shortening colds; preparation heterogeneity is substantial.

    MODERATE · systematic review/meta-analysis · Cochrane: Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold

    Mixed findings, product heterogeneity, or indirect evidence are preserved in the detailed profile.

Preparation

Forms used traditionally

decoctiontincturepowder/capsulestandardized extractinfusion/teaextract

A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.

  • PREPARATION: The medicinal material is aerial parts; root; traditional and modern forms include decoction, tincture, powder/capsule, standardized extract, infusion/tea, extract. No dose or potency is specified.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

    Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.

Safety

Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)

Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.

  • SAFETY: Major issues include Allergy, especially Asteraceae; GI upset; rare liver injury reports. Contraindications/cautions include Asteraceae allergy; caution with autoimmune disease.

    HIGH · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

  • SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Theoretical antagonism of immunosuppressants; CYP effects uncertain.

    MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

    Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.

  • SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Pregnancy data are limited but observational data have not shown a clear major signal.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

    Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.

Preparation × species risk matrix

Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.

Cats

  • tinctureCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • essential oilUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown
  • whole herbUnknown

Dogs

  • tinctureCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • essential oilUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown
  • whole herbUnknown

Identity

  • Related, not interchangeableNarrow-leaved echinacea

    Echinacea products may use E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, or mixtures.

    MODERATE · GBIF taxonomic backbone and Apothecary corpus identity note

  • Related, not interchangeablePale purple coneflower

    Echinacea products may use E. purpurea, E. pallida, or mixtures.

    MODERATE · GBIF taxonomic backbone and Apothecary corpus identity note

  • Synonym

    GBIF resolves Rudbeckia purpurea L. as a synonym of Echinacea purpurea. The older name still appears in herbal and taxonomic literature.

    HIGH · GBIF Species Match API

Botanical synonym

Rudbeckia purpurea L.

Taxonomic identity note

  • Echinacea is treated here as Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench in the family Asteraceae; recorded older names include Rudbeckia purpurea L..

Sources

Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.