Echinacea is also known as purple coneflower, and it's a flower that we are now finding in gardens across America. If you are not already growing it, you might want to next spring.
Meanwhile, you can buy Echinacea tincture or make your -- why would you want to? Echinacea is one of the great anti-infectives of the world. In other words, any time we have a bacterial infection, Echinacea can be used to help us overcome that infection. We do need to take a very large dose of Echinacea, one drop for every two pounds of body weight. So you know how much you weigh, divide that by two and that number is the number of drops of Echinacea tincture that you need to take as a dose.
For ease, figure those about 25 drops of Echinacea in a dropperful, and you can round that number which is half of your weight on to the nearest 25. I usually take about three dropperfuls of Echinacea tincture as a dose for myself. How often would I take that dose? Well, it depends on how severe the bacterial infection is. If it's a really severe infection then I am going to be taking that full dose of Echinacea tincture about once every two hours as my symptoms remiss, as the heat or the fever goes away, as the pain or the tenderness goes away, as the redness clears, then I'm going to lengthen the time between my doses of Echinacea.
Some people say that it's pointless to take Echinacea if you have the flu or a cold, and I would agree with them partway, that is, Echinacea is not an antiviral like Elder which we have talked about. But frequently, when we have a viral infection like a cold, we will also get a bacterial infection like a sinus infection or a sore throat. So taking Echinacea when we have a cold or a flu will help to reduce those bacterial infections.
This is Susun Weed, the author of the Wise Woman Herbal Series, wishing you green blessings!
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