Although there is no specific plant that makes the perfect companion for Echinacea, it's generally a safe bet to grow in your garden. However, you might want to avoid growing them near or with nightshade plants as this could potentially harm both plants. Also, if planning to mix Echinacea with other flowers when making tea (which is highly recommended for flavor), make sure that they are not nightshades like tomatoes or peppers.30
Echinacea produces seeds on top of each flower head in the form of a large brown cone, which is often seen as an indication of its readiness to harvest and use for medicinal purposes.
To ensure freshness and potency, it is important that echinacea plants be kept outside with minimal exposure to direct sunlight or other environmental factors. Harvesting should ideally occur in the morning when there has been no rainfall within 24 hours prior so as not to effect their quality.30
Echinacea contains several beneficial compounds such as flavonoids (apigenin), essential oils, polysaccharides, caffeic acid derivatives (echinoside A and B) which possess antioxidant properties. It also has alkamides, amino acids including histidine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and zinc.
Echinacea can be used to make a tea or tincture as well as being added into smoothies and soups for its nutritional value.30
A study from 2014 showed that taking echinacea supplements could potentially improve cold symptoms significantly without causing any adverse reactions or side effects if taken for up to ten days consecutively. The same study also revealed that the herb has been proven effective at reducing the duration of colds.
Echinacea is known as an immune-boosting plant, and it contains polysaccharides that stimulate white blood cell production and natural killer cell activity within the body's defense system. This helps to reduce cold symptoms significantly by enhancing the effectiveness of the immune response.
Echinacea is also a potent antioxidant containing caffeic acid derivatives such as chlorogenic acid, 3-caffoylquinic acid and dicaffeolspermic acid that can protect against oxidative stress in the body. This makes it an effective tool for combating free radicals.
Echinacea is also used to treat inflammatory conditions such as colds, flu or allergies by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory leukotrienes and prostaglandins that may cause pain.
Other benefits include its ability to help reduce blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes.30
