Coneflower

Echinacea
Purple Coneflower


The prominent, bristly seed head inspired the generic name of the plant, taken from the Greek word echinos meaning hedgehog.


Native American plains Indians relied on echinacea as an all-purpose antiseptic. The Sioux tribe valued the root as a remedy for snake bite, the Cheyenne tribe chewed the root to quench thirst, and another tribe washed their hands in a decoction of echinacea to increase their tolerance of heat.


In the late 1800s, it was included in a cure-all that was bottled and patented by Dr. H.C.F. Meyer and promoted as Meyer's Blood Purifier. However, the growing field of medical research did not take Dr. Meyer's patented cure-all seriously.


It was only after a family business, Lloyd Brothers Pharmacists, produced its own Echinacea products that it gained widespread popularity in America as a treatment for colds and infections. However, with the advent of modern antibiotics during the 1920s, Echinacea's usefulness as a healing herb declined.