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Herb library · Herb · Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida

Echinacea

A North American coneflower sold mostly for colds. Many studies have looked at colds: taking it may slightly lower the chance of catching one, and whether it shortens one is still unclear.

Traditional use

Native to the plains east of the Rocky Mountains. Native Americans used E. purpurea for respiratory infections, tooth pain and snakebite. It entered American medicine in the late 1800s, and today it is sold mainly for the common cold, and sometimes on the skin for eczema. On the Missouri River prairies, where E. angustifolia grows, Melvin Gilmore recorded (1919) that the Dakota, Omaha, Ponca, Winnebago and Pawnee used it for more ailments than any other plant: for snakebite and other bites and stings, toothache, swollen glands and burns. The Omaha-Ponca called it "comb plant."

What studies show

  • Limited

    Colds: many studies in people. Taking echinacea may slightly reduce the chance of catching a cold; whether it shortens a cold is still unclear, and NCCIH says more research is needed to confirm either finding.

  • Insufficient

    Respiratory infections in children: one recent study found it might lower the chance of infection and its complications, but overall there is not enough evidence for a clear connection.

  • Insufficient

    Eczema and other conditions: it is unclear whether echinacea is helpful for them; much less research exists than for colds.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • AllergySome people have allergic reactions, which may be severe. It is related to ragweed, daisies and sunflowers.
  • NoteLikely safe for most adults short term (extracts of E. purpurea, and some E. purpurea and E. angustifolia mixtures). The most common side effects are stomach pain and nausea.
  • ConditionChildren: possibly safe short term, but some children in a trial developed rashes that may have been allergic, and reactions could be severe. Ask the child's clinician first.
  • InteractionEvidence conflicts on whether it interacts with some liver-processed drugs; there are theoretical reasons to expect interactions with immunosuppressants and caffeine.
  • PregnancySome studies suggest it is possibly safe for up to 7 days in the first trimester; little is known about breastfeeding. Talk with your clinician first.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“Echinacea seems to have been used as a remedy for more ailments than any other plant. It was employed in the smoke treatment for headache in persons and distemper in horses. It was used also as a remedy for toothache, a piece being kept on the painful tooth until there was relief, and for enlarged glands, as in mumps.”
Melvin Randolph Gilmore, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region (1919), p. 131. See the page of Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, p. 131 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, p. 131
“As with all new remedies, it has suffered the usual over-estimation, and the exaggerated claims made for it led Prof. Lloyd to view it with suspicion for a long time.”
Harvey Wickes Felter and John Uri Lloyd, King's American Dispensatory (1898), vol. 1, p. 671. See the page of King's American Dispensatory, vol. 1, p. 671 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from King's American Dispensatory, vol. 1, p. 671

Sources

  1. Echinacea: Usefulness and Safety (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.