Echinacea: Nature’s Bold, Beautiful Healer
Add Purple Coneflower to Your Garden to Create a Pollinator Paradise and Fill Your Herbal Medicine Cabinet
If you've ever wandered through a prairie or peeked into a pollinator garden in mid-summer, you've likely spotted echinacea — vibrant, daisy-like flowers with spiky, cone-shaped centers and pinkish-purple petals. This beauty is more than just a summer showstopper. Echinacea (commonly known as coneflower) has a long and rich history as a medicinal plant and garden favorite.
Whether you're growing it for beauty, brewing it for wellness, or simply admiring its resilience, this North American native offers something for everyone.
What Is Echinacea?
Echinacea is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. Native to the central and eastern United States, purple coneflower thrives in prairies, meadows, and dry open woods. There are several species, but the most commonly used for medicinal purposes are Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Echinacea pallida.
It’s loved not only for its beauty but for its powerful plant compounds — namely alkylamides, polysaccharides, and caffeic acid derivatives — that contribute to its immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.
A Plant with a Healing Past
Before echinacea became a darling of herbal supplement aisles, it was a cornerstone in the traditional medicine of many First Nations and Indigenous groups across North America.
The Lakota, Dakota, and Omaha peoples used echinacea to treat a wide variety of ailments — from toothaches and sore throats to snakebites and infections. The Cheyenne used it topically for burns and insect stings, while the Kiowa brewed it as a tea for coughs and sore throats.
One of the most remarkable things about echinacea is that it was used not only internally as an immune tonic, but also externally as a poultice or wash to support wound healing. It’s a reminder that Indigenous knowledge has long recognized the power of plants in ways science is only beginning to confirm.
As I continue to gain an understanding of Indigenous practices and herbalism, I'm always surprised by the multiple uses of plants I had previously considered weeds.
The Medicinal Benefits of Echinacea
Most people turn to echinacea as a go-to remedy when cold and flu season rolls around. And with good reason — echinacea has been shown to help shorten the duration of colds and lessen the severity of symptoms, especially when taken at the first sign of illness.
Immune Support
Echinacea can stimulate the immune system, making it more efficient at fighting off viruses and bacteria. This stimulation is especially helpful in the early stages of a cold or flu when you want to give your body the best chance at a quick recovery.
You can take echinacea in various forms, including tincture, tea, capsule, or syrup. Many herbalists recommend the tincture form for its fast absorption and potency. Be sure to follow the dosage instructions and take breaks between usage cycles, as herbalists usually don't recommend long-term use.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
The anti-inflammatory compounds in echinacea help alleviate a range of conditions, from joint pain to skin issues. You might find it in natural creams used to soothe eczema, sunburn, or bug bites.
Antioxidant-Rich
Echinacea is rich in antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases. It’sjust another reason to brew a cup of echinacea tea in the afternoon or incorporate it into your herbal regimen.
I added echinacea tea to our cold/flu routine this past year and plan to make a tincture for the 2025 season.
How to Use Echinacea Medicinally
Want some easy, home-friendly methods to incorporate echinacea into your wellness routine:
1. Herbal Teas
You can purchase pre-packaged echinacea tea or prepare your own using dried leaves and roots. Combine with herbs like elderberry, mint, or rosehip for an extra immune punch.
How to make it:
Steep 1-2 teaspoons of dried echinacea (leaf and root) in hot water for 10–15 minutes. Drink up to three cups per day during illness.
2. Tincture
A tincture is a concentrated herbal extract made by soaking plant material in alcohol. A few drops of echinacea tincture under the tongue or in a small amount of water can be a quick and effective immune booster.
How to make Echinacea Tincture:
Ingredients:
Echinacea leaves and roots
Alcohol (vodka, brandy, or rum — vodka is preferred)
Clean glass jar with a tight lid
Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Storage bottle with a label
Directions:
Fill the jar:
Fill a clean glass jar with echinacea leaves and roots.
Add alcohol:
Pour alcohol over the plant matter until the echinacea is completely submerged.
Use a ratio of 1 part plant matter to 3 parts alcohol (vodka, brandy, or rum — vodka is preferred).
Seal and store:
Close the jar tightly and store it in a cool, dark place for 4–6 weeks.
Shake the jar daily to aid extraction.
Strain the mixture:
After 4–5 weeks, strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
Squeeze out any excess liquid from the plant matter.
Dispose and label:
Discard the plant matter and transfer the liquid (tincture) to a clean storage bottle.
Label the bottle with the date of preparation.
According to Herbal Garden, store in a cool, dark place. Use drops as needed for herbal support.
3. Syrup
Echinacea syrup is an excellent option for children or those who dislike the taste of tinctures. Made with raw honey, ginger, and cinnamon, the syrup is both medicinal and tasty.
How to make Echinacea Herbal Syrup:
Ingredients:
Echinacea root
Echinacea leaves
Filtered water
Local, raw honey
Cheesecloth
Glass bottles with lids
Directions:
Combine root and water:
Add echinacea root to a saucepan. Top with filtered water, using a ratio of 1 ounce of plant matter to 8 ounces of water.
Simmer the root:
Cover the saucepan and simmer over low to medium heat for about 20 minutes.
Add the leaves:
Reduce the temperature to low, add the echinacea leaves, and continue simmering for about 2 hours, or until the liquid has reduced by half.
Strain and cool:
Remove the mixture from heat and let it cool completely.
Strain through cheesecloth, squeezing out any excess liquid, and reserve the strained liquid.
Sweeten with honey:
Combine the liquid with local, raw honey in a 2:5 ratio (2 parts liquid to 5 parts honey), stirring until the honey is fully incorporated.
Bottle and refrigerate:
Pour the syrup into clean glass bottles and seal.
Store in the refrigerator — it will keep for 6–8 weeks.
Use by the spoonful during cold and flu season or when you need a boost. Indie Lane Farm recommends dosing every waking hour until your cold resolves.
4. Topical Use
Apply echinacea-infused oil or salve to skin irritations, cuts, and burns. You can also use a cooled tea as a wound rinse.
How to make an Echinacea Healing Salve
Ingredients:
Echinacea leaves, petals, and roots (dried or fresh)
Carrier oil (olive, almond, or sunflower)
Beeswax
Clean jars or tins with lids
Directions:
Gather your echinacea leaves, petals, and roots.
Combine plant material with your carrier oil in a clean glass jar, using a ratio of 1 part plant matter to 5 parts oil.
Cover the jar and let the mixture sit in a warm, dark place for 5–6 weeks, shaking occasionally.
After steeping, strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth, reserving the infused oil.
Gently melt beeswax in a double boiler.
Once melted, add in your infused echinacea oil.
For a softer salve, use more oil.
For a firmer salve, use less oil.
Common ratios range from 3:1 or 4:1 (oil to beeswax).
Pour the mixture into clean jars or tins.
Allow the salve to cool completely before putting on the lids.
Growing Echinacea in the Garden
Even if you never plan to use echinacea medically, it’s still a garden superstar. With its striking blooms and low-maintenance personality, it adds both color and resilience to your outdoor space.
Pollinators Love Coneflower
Bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds flock to echinacea. It's essential to creating a diverse pollinator garden, and because it blooms for weeks, it provides a steady source of nectar.
Wildlife-Safe
The seed heads are a favorite for goldfinches in the fall and winter. Let some of the flowers go to seed to feed your local birds — and to reseed naturally for next year’s blooms.
Easy to Grow
Echinacea is drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and hardy in USDA zones 3–9. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and once established, I can personally attest that it rarely needs extra care. Cut it back in late fall or early spring, and it will reward you with blooms year after year.
Living in a rural area where deer like to snack on my tulips, I love that deer aren't interested in echinacea.
Using Echinacea in the Kitchen?
Unlike culinary herbs like basil or rosemary, echinacea isn’t typically used as a flavor-forward ingredient in cooking. Its taste is earthy, slightly bitter, and tingly — not unpleasant, but not something you’d toss in a salad.
That said, you can still use it in the kitchen creatively:
Herbal teas: Blend echinacea with other flavorful herbs, such as lemon balm, ginger, or chamomile.
Wellness shots: Mix echinacea tincture with a bit of fresh lemon juice, turmeric, and honey for a natural wellness boost.
Infused honey: Add dried echinacea flowers to raw honey and let steep for a few weeks. Use it in tea or drizzle over toast for a medicinal sweetener.
Just remember — echinacea isn’t something to take every day indefinitely. Think of it like your herbal emergency kit: reach for it when you feel something coming on, or when your body needs an immune reset.
Precautions and Considerations
While echinacea is generally safe for short-term use, it’s always wise to be cautious, especially if you:
Are pregnant or breastfeeding
Have an autoimmune disorder
Are allergic to plants in the daisy family (like ragweed or chamomile)
Are taking medications that affect the immune system
If in doubt, consult a qualified herbalist or healthcare practitioner before proceeding.
A Plant That Connects Us
There’s something profoundly grounding about connecting with healing plants. Echinacea is more than an immune-boosting herb or a vibrant flower — it’s part of a centuries-old tradition, a conversation with the land, and a reminder that sometimes the simplest things can be the most powerful.
Whether you sip it in a quiet moment, plant it as a gift to the bees, or keep it in your herbal medicine cabinet for a rainy day, echinacea is a friend worth getting to know.
Echinacea invites us to slow down, listen to our bodies, and work with nature — not against it. It asks for nothing more than a patch of sun and a little space, and in return, it offers beauty, healing, and a sense of connection.
Next time you pass by a clump of coneflowers, take a moment to notice the bees dancing around it and remember the power tucked into each petal and root.
