Echinacea Tea Benefits And How To Use It For Great Health
Echinacea is an herb which is native to eastern and central North America and was used by Native Americans to help cure many ailments. Recently, Echinacea in its various forms has become very popular as a natural way to relieve cold and flu symptoms. A lot of people consume Echinacea tea to enjoy its health benefits and its refreshing taste.
There are 10 varieties of Echinacea, but only three of them are used for their medicinal properties. These are Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea pallida, and Echinacea purpurea. All of these varieties have distinctive purple flowers.
Each part of the plant has different properties. Usually, the root is used to make a tincture, although sometimes it is used in Echinacea tea, and it has a more bitter taste than the rest of the plant.
The stems and leaves are used to make herbal supplements and Echinacea tea, and can also be used to make a tincture.
In this article, I am going to look at all the health benefits of Echinacea tea.
What is Echinacea Tea?
Echinacea tea is produced from one or more of the three medicinal Echinacea plants. The tea usually contains the dried or fresh stems and flowers of the plant, although, sometimes dried root can be in the tea.
The stems and leaves of Echinacea contain many beneficial health properties which are anti-inflammatory and stimulate the immune system.
For example, Echinacea contains alkamides, caffeic acid derivatives, and polysaccharides, all of which play a role in boosting the immune system and reducing inflammation.1 Studies into the medicinal properties of Echinacea also show that it has antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that in Germany, where the government regulates the use of medicinal herbs, Echinacea is approved for use in treating “colds, upper respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, and slow-healing wounds.”2
Echinacea Tea Benefits and How to Use It
Echinacea Tea Strengthens the Immune System
One of the most well-known health benefits of Echinacea tea is boosting the immune system, especially at the onset of the common cold. And indeed Echinacea is one of the top natural ways for boosting the immune system.
While there are conflicting studies as to the effectiveness of Echinacea in treating cold and flu symptoms, some studies show that it can have a positive effect in relieving common cold symptoms. A study published in The Lancet on infectious diseases showed that Echinacea can help prevent developing a cold and also reduce the duration of time a person has a cold.3
The reason that Echinacea seems effective in this is because the anti-inflammatory properties of Echinacea help to kill off the rhinovirus, which is one of the main causes of the common cold.4
Therefore using Echinacea tea can help reduce your chance of catching a cold by almost 60% and you can shorten the duration of a cold by one to two days.3
If you want to stay free from cold and flu, you can also use other natural ways, in addition to Echinacea tea.
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
Because Echinacea is effective in treating the symptoms of the common cold, it can also be effective in relieving symptoms of other respiratory tract infections.
A report published in the Southern Medical Journal said that studies into Echinacea have shown positive results on its beneficial effects, although it was difficult to establish clear conclusions from them.5 However, one study into Echinacea for the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections in children showed that it can help reduce the re-occurrence of the infections.6
A study published in the Phytomedicine Journal in July 2010 indicated that the anti-inflammatory properties of Echinacea extract may be useful for controlling symptoms of bacterial upper respiratory infections
Echinacea is also one of the best home remedies for tonsillitis and it is also one of the 13 most powerful natural antibiotics.
Other Benefits of Echinacea Tea
Because of its antioxidant properties, Echinacea tea can be used in a number of other ways.
Echinacea Tea for Skin
You can use Echinacea tea to keep your skin looking healthy. The antioxidant properties in Echinacea can help kill off free radicals from your skin and thus reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. One study into Echinacea extracts showed that the polyphenols in Echinacea help to protect collagen in the skin and prevent damage from UV rays.7
To use Echinacea tea for great looking skin, you should make an infusion as directed below. When it has cooled, use a cotton pad to apply to your face and leave to dry.
Echinacea Tea to Soothe Damaged Skin
Echinacea tea can also be used to help treat and heal skin that has been damaged. This is very effective for acne, small burns, or irritated skin. Echinacea is also one of the best natural ways to relieve mosquito bites.
In addition to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, Echinacea has also shown to have properties which kill off infections and can reduce pain.8 This can help in treating damaged skin by preventing infections and reducing inflammation.
To use Echinacea tea to soothe damaged skin, you should make a full-strength infusion of Echinacea tea and when the tea has cooled, use a cotton pad dipped in Echinacea tea to gently soothe your inflamed skin. Another tea which is also beneficial to treat damaged skin is chamomile tea with has many other benefits and uses.
How to Make Echinacea Tea
It is very easy to make a delicious cup of Echinacea tea to enjoy its health benefits and it is a good idea to regularly drink it if people around you have colds and other respiratory infections.
You should also drink plenty of Echinacea tea when winter is approaching. This is because more people succumb to viruses and you can use Echinacea tea to give your immune system a boost.
Immune System Boosting Echinacea Tea
To make an immune-boosting tea from Echinacea you can mix together fresh parts from the Echinacea plant with fresh ginger. Ginger is also a well-documented anti-inflammatory and it gives the tea a delicious taste.
You can also buy organic Echinacea tea bags (like this one) at your local supermarket, health food store or online. But if you prefer to make the tea from fresh Echinacea parts, follow the recipe below.
To make tea from fresh Echinacea parts, you need the following:
- 1 part fresh Echinacea leaves, flowers and/or root
- 1 part grated ginger root
- Some honey or lemon according to taste
To make the tea, let the Echinacea and ginger infuse for 15 minutes in a teapot. It is also recommended to keep the lid on so that the medicinal properties are kept in the tea. After 15 minutes, pour some tea into a cup and add honey or lemon to taste.
If you use dried herbs, then you only need 1 teaspoon of dried Echinacea and one teaspoon of freshly grated ginger root per one cup of water. Then, make the tea as stated above.
You can also grow your own Echinacea and then dry the stems, leaves and root to make your own infusions. The great thing about that is that the flowers are ready for cutting in the fall, so by the start of winter, you will have your own Echinacea to use.
To harvest the parts of the plant, you should harvest the flowers and leaves just when the flowers have started to bloom. Cut the stems no more than 10″ from the top and rinse them thoroughly. Then, you can either tie some yarn around the base of the stem and hang them to dry, or you can lay them out on a screen. You should dry them in a dark, well-ventilated area. It will take about 2 weeks for the cuttings to dry. Then store the dried Echinacea in an airtight container.
Echinacea Tea – Dosage
To use Echinacea tea to stop a cold from developing to full strength, you should drink one cup of Echinacea tea 5 or 6 times a day on the first day of cold symptoms. Then for the following days, you should reduce the dose by one cup. Continue doing that for 5 days.
Echinacea Tea – Side Effects
Echinacea tea is generally safe for consumption when taken within the recommended amounts that have been mentioned in this article.
However, because Echinacea strengthens the immune system, it shouldn’t be taken in large doses by people who have autoimmune diseases or who are taking immunosuppressants.
There is also some evidence that taking Echinacea as a dietary supplement can also affect how other medications are metabolized by the body. Therefore, if you take medications for high blood pressure, you should avoid high doses of Echinacea.
Echinacea can also slow down how the body releases caffeine. Therefore, you should take this into consideration if you drink black tea or coffee and Echinacea tea at the same time.
Echinacea is a very versatile herb which is also used against many other infections, and is one of the herbs featured in my e-book the Herbal Remedies Guide.
Read these related articles:
1. Powerful Antibiotics That Don’t Require a Prescription
2. Kill Your Infections With This Natural Antibiotic
3. Natural Ways to Stay Free From Cold & Flu
Resources:
1. Echinacea purpurea: Pharmacology, phytochemistry, and analysis methods.
2. University of Maryland Medical Center. Echinacea.
3. Echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold.
4. Echinacea as an anti-inflammatory agent.
5. Echinacea in upper respiratory tract infection.
6. Echinacea for prevention of upper respiratory tract infections.
7. Echinacea extracts in the prevention of skin photodamage.
8. Echinacea in infections.
2. University of Maryland Medical Center. Echinacea.
3. Echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold.
4. Echinacea as an anti-inflammatory agent.
5. Echinacea in upper respiratory tract infection.
6. Echinacea for prevention of upper respiratory tract infections.
7. Echinacea extracts in the prevention of skin photodamage.
8. Echinacea in infections.