Echinacea angustifolia

Echinacea angustifolia, “Narrow-leaved purple coneflower” in English, called “Echinacée angustifoliée” in French, belongs to the Asteraceae botanical family.

This herb is native to North America where it grows in dry prairies. It is cultivated in Europe to some extent.

It is mainly the root which is used to make the drug, which comes from the traditional medicine of North America’s native Indians. Along with Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea pallida, it was the most widely used plant drug in the US in the 19th century.

It is used as a medicine for the prophylaxis and treatment of colds and influenza, for the stimulation of immune defenses, and for its anti-infective, anti-viral and anti-fungal activity.

Its main constituents are echinacoside, cynarin, chicoric acid and chlorogenic acid.

• English name Blacksamson echinacea