Season 4: Common Herbs- Echinacea: The Hedgehog Healing Flower

Another season finale is upon us.  Echinacea has a pretty short history, and is an herb that grows exclusively in North America.  Most of it's history of use resides with Native Americans and so today we are going to talk about that history and some of the ways this plant was used as a multipurpose medicinal herb!

Echinacea has a crazy amount of useful medicinal properties, and you've probably heard of it as a remedy for some of the symptoms of the common cold.  It turns out that this is one of the few plants we have were it is pretty common for the entire plant to be used.  So from flowers to leaves this flower is both useful and profitable.  Join us as we learn about this plant and all it has to offer!

Side note: I was wrong and Krista was right. Angustifollia actually means "narrow leaf" (I must have been thinking of something else) and pallida just means pale (what a disappointing search that was).  But purpurea does just mean purple.  So now you know!

Music Clips by Kevin Macleod at Incompetech https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/