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Nature's Pharmacy
Revealing the Secrets of Holistic Health By Andrea Candee, MH, MSC
If the cold and flu season is getting the best of your health, don't despair: Nature has placed a veritable pharmacy at your fingertips.
A familiar sight in local gardens, Echinacea, or purple coneflower, is a hardy, daisy-like perennial. One of the finest stimulators of the immune system, Echinacea (ek-i-NAY-shuh) is a valued herbal medicinal for colds and flu and their prevention.
Its chemical constituents polysaccharides, fatty acids and glycosides stimulate the functions of helper T-cells, important in the production of antibodies, and killer T-cells, responsible for anti-viral activity.
One of the most popular yet most misused herbs, a few pointers will give you enough information to make it an effective part of your herbal repertoire:
An alcohol and water-soluble herb, Echinacea requires the medium of alcohol to give its best performance. When diluted in a little water (for kids, use juice since Echinacea doesn't taste great), the alcohol content becomes negligible.
If in doubt about the importance of an alcohol extract, consider this: Peppermint is 100 percent water soluble and will release all of its chemical constituents when steeped in a cup of boiled water (great for digestive upset, sinus congestion and headaches, by the way).
Osha root, 100 percent alcohol soluble will yield none of its chemical constitutents in a cup of boiled water #&150; it needs 100 percent alcohol.
Echinacea, water and alcohol soluble, will perform best if prepared with water and alcohol. Why get only part of an herb's benefits? If I'm hoping to prevent something, I want the best and I want it all!
This is how to prevent illness from running through the entire family. See my book, Gentle Healing for Baby and Child