I am a big
believer in preventative medicine, and Echinacea is on the top of my list today.
As we are about to move into another season, the changeable weather can play
havoc with our health, so it is a good idea to reinforce the immune system over
the next month. It is time to move life outside for some outdoor play and outdoor
exercise in the sun and warmer temperatures, and the last thing you want is to
feel miserable because you have a cold.
That's where Echinacea
comes in. It is an immune booster - and helps build resistance to upper
respiratory tract infections, hay fever, allergies or mucous congestion. As a preventative
medicine it will build immunity against the common cold and flu keeping you fit
to play outdoors, and while you are sick it will help reduce the symptoms and
hasten a faster recovery. From a clinical viewpoint "....studies
suggest that echinacea contains active substances that enhance the activity of
the immune system, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and have hormonal,
antiviral, and antioxidant effects. For this reason, professional herbalists
may recommend echinacea to treat vaginal yeast (candida) infections, ear
infections (also known as otitis media), athlete's foot, sinusitis, hay fever
(also called allergic rhinitis), as well as slow-healing wounds.**
Echinacea comes in various forms, the most common
being a tea or tincture.
As a tea it is lovely with honey. My daughter is 6
now, but from the age of 3, I was giving her Echinacea tea.
As a tincture, a concentrated liquid form is brilliant.
You only need 1ml, 2-4 times daily. I buy the Greenridge brand called TriPlex,
which is made with 3 different varieties of Echinacea. I also give it to our
daughter mixed in juice.
A good rule of thumb on how to use Echinacea:
Paediatric
Adjust the recommended adult dose
to account for the child's weight. Most herbal dosages for adults are
calculated on the basis of a 150 lb (70 kg) adult. Therefore, if the child
weighs 50 lb (20 to 25 kg), the appropriate dose of echinacea would be 1/3 of
the adult dose. Use alcohol-free
preparations for children.
Adult
For general immune system stimulation, during
colds, flu, upper respiratory tract infections, or bladder infections, choose
from the following forms and take three times a day generally for 7 - 10 days:
-
1 - 2 grams dried root or herb, as tea
-
2 - 3 mL of standardized tincture extract
-
6 - 9 ml of expressed juice (succus)
-
300 mg of standardized, powdered extract containing
4% phenolics
- Tincture (1:5): 1 - 3 mL (20 - 90 drops)
- Stabilized fresh extract: 0.75 mL (15 - 23
drops) **
So buckle up
for a fast entry into Spring and Summer. This is the time to get your family
strong for some fabulous outdoor play in our beautiful country.
Reviewed
by our residential Naturopath Sarah Cowper BHSc, ND, Cert IV in Training & Assessment.
Disclaimer: This
article is written purely to share experience and recommend what has worked for
me and my family. If you are on any medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding
please seek medical advice before taking Echinacea in any form.
**
(University of Maryland Medical Center-Baltimore) :http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/echinacea-000239.htm
