Harvesting and Using Echinacea Plants in Your Yard

I always enjoyed the herbal tea of Echinacea made by Celestial Seasonings tea company. But I was never an active consumer of Echinacea. Now I have several Echinacea plants growing in our yard, so I thought I can make use of it.

I searched Google Scholar and found several meta-analyses of the use of Echinacea from clinical trials. There are indeed many papers that discuss the benefits of Echinacea, such as (B. Barrett, 2003, Phytomedicine), and Barrett summarizes that Echinacea seems to boost the immune system and improve acute upper respiratory infections.

I have decided to make tinctures, which is essentially an infusion of herbal properties into alcohol. The book “Midwest Medicinal Plants” by Lisa M. Rose tells me that I can create a tincture using Echinacea’s flowers, leaves, and root parts, then mix it with 100 proof alcohol (50% water, 50% alcohol).

The research findings were rather mixed in terms of which part is more useful, the root or aerial part. Besides, I do not have a strong cluster of Echinacea to dig up its roots yet. I can safely harvest the top parts of the plants, but I am not willing to dig up the whole thing yet. Perhaps in 2 years or so, I might be able to use the roots as well.

My goal is to create a tincture and store it in tinted glass, and consume it when I get sick. I do not get sick often, but I do catch a cold twice or three times a year. Usually, Sameen or Sufian will bring a cold home.