Botanical Library
Echinacea
Holistic tradition
🍄Image: EchinaceaAdd an image URL to this ingredient in Admin to replace this placeholder.
At a glance
Where it's from
Native to North America; used by Indigenous Plains peoples.
Look & taste
A purple coneflower. Herbaceous, tingly
Signature compounds
Alkamides, polysaccharides and cichoric acid.
Traditionally used for
A traditional North American remedy for immune support and colds.
In Canada, we can say...
Used in Herbal Medicine to help relieve the symptoms and shorten the duration of upper respiratory tract infections (the common cold), and traditionally to help fight off infections of the upper respiratory tract.
Did you know?
It causes a characteristic tingling on the tongue - a sign of its alkamides.
History & natural history
A staple remedy of Indigenous North American peoples, later adopted widely for colds and immunity.
What we're actually allowed to say
🇨🇦 Health Canada
✓ Permitted: Used in Herbal Medicine to help relieve the symptoms and shorten the duration of upper respiratory tract infections (the common cold), and traditionally to help fight off infections of the upper respiratory tract.
How to use it
Tincture, capsules or tea at the first sign of a cold.
Want this?
Echinacea isn't in stock yet. Tell us you'd like it and we'll consider adding it.
Request Echinacea →Side effects & safety
Check with a practitioner if pregnant, breastfeeding, autoimmune, or allergic to the daisy/aster family.
A note on how to read this page. Traditional (TCM / Ayurveda) and holistic notes are cultural and historical context, offered for education — not medical advice or health claims. Health Canada's permitted claims reflect what regulators have assessed. Emerging research is early, and not a promise of results. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always talk to your (or your pet's) health professional before starting a supplement.