Echinacea is a North American wildflower with a prickly, domed seed head referenced in the plant’s common name: coneflower. Native tribes used echinacea for a wide variety of medicinal purposes long before European settlers arrived.

One of the most recognizable and well-studied herbs in modern herbal medicine, echinacea is widely used to shorten the severity and duration of the common cold. Traditionally, echinacea has also been used to strengthen the immune system, resist infection, and heal wounds.

All parts of the plant are used therapeutically. The roots are harvested during the third or fourth year of the plant’s life, then dried before any processing takes place. They are used for teas or tinctures, and the taste is initially sweet, then bitter, and can cause temporary tongue numbing or tingling.