Echinacea: flowers of a beautiful plant strengthen immunity

Popular beautifully flowering tallperennial with a pubescent stalk and a slightly "prickly" name, which in Greek means "hedgehog" - is a purple echinacea. Flowers, stem, leaves and roots of this plant use for medicinal purposes folk and official medicine. Ready alcoholic tincture of Echinacea can be bought in pharmacies. But no less useful are decoctions and water infusion from all parts of the plant, as well as herbal tea, for the preparation of which flowers are used.

Echinacea, the medicinal properties of which are manifested inactivation of the body's defenses (immune) forces against colds, has proved its antibacterial and antiviral effect. Its drugs facilitate the course of common infectious diseases, such as tonsillitis and influenza. With the help of a plant with a life-giving bactericidal force, otitis media, stomatitis, bronchitis, inflammation of the urogenital organs, psoriasis, eczema, burns, wounds are treated. Phytotherapists recommend the use of Echinacea preparations inside for overwork, hepatitis, prostatitis, impotence, infertility. The plant is used in severe acute and chronic diseases - cerebral meningitis, typhoid fever, diphtheria, osteomyelitis, rheumatoid arthritis.

Who is contraindicated with echinacea? Flowers and seeds of plants that contain essential oil, people prone to allergies, should be used with caution. Do not give drugs to young children until the age of two. It is forbidden to take the plant to pregnant and lactating women.

Where does the echinacea come from and what does it contain?

Flowers and other parts of the plant containbiologically active substances. This perennial, growing in the wild nature of America and known as a healer in the Indians, has long moved to other continents. Here he quickly gained popularity. For example, the pharmacopoeia of Germany uses echinacea for the preparation of two hundred medical products. The chemical composition of the plant contains bitterness, mucus, tar, flavonoids, tannins, enzymes, oils, vitamins, organic acids, polysaccharides, trace elements, and a valuable substance with a strong bactericidal effect, echinacoside. Root root and rhizomes contain inulin - an easily digestible natural substitute for carbohydrates - starch and sugar.

How to prepare a medicine from the Echinacea plant

Flowers, stem, leaves, root, its seeds are alluseful for making tea, broths, infusions and tinctures - simple and affordable medicines. With a general weakening of immunity - in the fall especially - drink herbal tea, where the only component can be echinacea. How to brew? In a cup with two or three flowers pour boiling water, under the lid they let it brew for 10 minutes and the tea is ready. You can sweeten it with honey, if, of course, there are no violations of carbohydrate metabolism.

To strengthen the therapeutic effect,prepare a mixture of natural immunomodulators. Take in dry form the herb or root of Echinacea, licorice root bare, leaves of plantain, mallow flowers, dogrose berries - all in equal parts. Raw materials are crushed and mixed. At 1 tbsp. l. mixture needs 1 cup of boiling water. Tea is insisted in a closed cup for 10 minutes. Drink warmly in small sips of 1/2 cup 3 times a day.

For broth, usually take dry powdered raw materials(leaves, root, flowers) in a volume of 1 tbsp. l. and pour hot water - 1 glass. It should all be warmed up for 20 minutes, put in a water bath, then insist an hour. Filter and add boiled water to the glass. To drink it is necessary in several receptions for a day. Echinacea is treated for a month. Then the month of the break is done. She does not have a harmful side effect.

In pharmacies, alcoholic tincture of echinacea is sold - the necessary concentration of a medicinal plant is observed in it.