Originally published September 14 2005
The pale purple coneflower helps the body heal
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The pale purple coneflower of Echinacea is being increasingly harvested and used in herbal medicines. Its popularity as a healing drug has led to the illegal harvesting of the roots.
Pale purple coneflowers are one of several coneflower species that are becoming more popular as a flower and more controversial as a medicine.
Lovers of native plants are attracted to coneflowers because of their showy blooms and hardiness.
The increasing popularity of herbal medicines --- and with it, a rise in the consumption of echinacea --- has also put coneflowers into a spotlight of debate.
The echinacea used in a variety of herbal medicines is extracted from the roots of some types of coneflowers, including the pale purple coneflower.
Species status: Due to the continuing decline of prairie habitat and the increase in illegal harvesting, the number of wild pale purple coneflowers growing in natural settings is declining.
First discovered: Before European settlement, coneflower roots were used for medicinal purposes by many Native American tribes of the Great Plains.
The roots were the main ingredient of medicines used to treat a variety of ailments including snakebites, bee stings, headaches, stomach cramps, toothaches and sore throats.
The plant's healing reputation was passed on to settlers, and echinacea derived from coneflower roots continued to be used medicinally until well into the 20th century.
In the early 1900s, before the discovery of penicillin and other modern antibiotics, echinacea was one of the most commonly used substances for treating infections and other types of inflammatory conditions.
Family matters: Pale purple coneflowers belong to the Asteraceae family of plants.
This group is also known as the Compositae family, or more commonly, the daisy family.
Flowers: Each plant has a single flower head at the top of the stem.
At the center of this arrangement is a large, brownish, cone-shaped head.
Habitat: Pale purple coneflowers are found in dry and moist prairies and occasionally in other open areas across most of Missouri.
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