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Echinacea is probably one of those names you recognise immediately.
You’ll see it in supplement shops, pharmacies and health food aisles, particularly as the colder months arrive.
But beyond recognising the name, how much do most of us actually know about it?
What is echinacea? Which part of the plant is used? And why can two supplements with “echinacea” written on the front be quite different products?
Welcome to another Wellness Without the Noise, where instead of simply telling you what to take, we help you understand what you’re looking at.
What Is Echinacea?
Echinacea isn’t actually one single plant.
It is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, native to North America. There are several species of echinacea, with some of the best known including Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pallida.
You may also recognise the plant itself.
Echinacea produces distinctive pink or purple daisy-like flowers surrounding a prominent central cone, which is why you may also hear these plants referred to as coneflowers.
Echinacea has a long history of traditional use and has since become one of the most recognisable botanical ingredients used in modern food supplements.
But this is where things become more interesting.
Seeing the word “echinacea” on a supplement doesn’t necessarily tell you the whole story.
What Is Echinacea Purpurea?
Echinacea purpurea is one of the most commonly used species of echinacea.
Different supplements can use different species and may also use different parts of the plant.
Some preparations use the aerial parts – the portions growing above ground – while others use the root. Some may contain combinations.
The Lewtress Super Strength Echinacea supplement uses Echinacea purpurea root extract.
And that distinction matters.
If two products simply say “echinacea” on the front, it can be tempting to compare the numbers and assume you’re looking at essentially the same thing.
You may not be.
What Is Echinacea Root Extract?
An extract is produced by processing plant material to concentrate particular components.
That means an echinacea extract isn’t simply the equivalent of putting dried, ground-up echinacea root into a capsule.
This is also why supplement labels can contain figures that initially look rather surprising.
The Lewtress Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract, for example, is labelled as equivalent to 17,400mg per capsule.
No, there isn’t a 17.4g lump of echinacea root somehow squeezed into each capsule.
The word that matters is equivalent.
It refers to the amount of original botanical material represented by the concentrated extract used in the product.
Understanding that distinction makes supplement labels considerably less mysterious.
What Does ‘Standardised’ Echinacea Mean?
Here’s another term worth understanding.
Standardised.
Botanical ingredients naturally vary. The composition of a plant can be affected by factors including the species, growing conditions, the part of the plant used, harvesting and processing.
Standardisation is used to provide a specified amount of a particular naturally occurring constituent within an extract.
Lewtress Super Strength Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract is standardised to 4% chicoric acid.
Chicoric acid is one of the naturally occurring compounds associated with echinacea and is used as a marker in standardised echinacea extracts.
So rather than simply seeing a large milligram number and assuming bigger automatically means better, it is worth looking further down the label.
What species is being used?
Which part of the plant?
Is it an extract?
Is the extract standardised?
Those details can tell you far more about what you’re actually buying.
Why Is Echinacea Used in Supplements?
Echinacea has been used traditionally for generations and has become particularly associated with seasonal wellbeing and the colder months of the year.
This association has also resulted in an enormous amount of marketing around echinacea.
And this is where Wellness Without the Noise becomes particularly important.
A botanical ingredient having a long history of traditional use does not mean every claim made about it is automatically supported by evidence.
Research into echinacea has produced varying results, and studies don’t always investigate identical preparations.
Different species can be used.
Different plant parts can be used.
Different extraction methods and concentrations can be used.
Different amounts can be studied.
That makes sweeping statements about “echinacea” much less useful than they initially appear.
It’s another reason to be wary of dramatic promises attached to any single botanical supplement.
Are All Echinacea Supplements the Same?
No.
And this is probably the most useful takeaway from this article.
Imagine comparing two bottles of wine simply because both labels say “red wine”.
You’d immediately want to know more.
Which grape? Where was it grown? How was it made?
Botanical supplements deserve some of the same curiosity.
Two echinacea supplements may differ in their:
- Echinacea species
- Part of the plant used
- Amount of botanical material
- Extraction method
- Extract concentration
- Standardisation
- Recommended intake
That’s why comparing supplements solely by looking for the biggest number on the front isn’t particularly helpful.
More milligrams does not automatically mean a better product.
You need to understand what that number actually represents.
Does More Echinacea Mean Better Echinacea?
This follows nicely from our last Wellness Without the Noise article about whether supplements need to be taken every day.
Supplement labels can encourage us to think numerically.
Higher strength.
More milligrams.
More capsules.
Surely more must mean better?
Not necessarily.
With botanical extracts in particular, the headline milligram figure may represent an equivalent amount of original plant material rather than the physical weight of the extract inside the capsule.
The formulation, concentration and standardisation all provide useful context.
It’s why we keep returning to the same principle:
Read the whole label, not just the biggest number printed on it.
How Should You Take Echinacea?
The answer is pleasingly uncomplicated.
Follow the directions on the particular product you’re taking.
Don’t assume that the directions from one echinacea supplement automatically apply to another simply because they contain the same botanical.
Different formulations can have different recommended amounts and directions for use.
And don’t exceed the recommended intake because you think taking more will produce a greater effect.
Supplements don’t work on a “more must be better” principle.
Is Echinacea Suitable for Everyone?
Not necessarily.
Botanical doesn’t automatically mean suitable for every person or every circumstance.
If you take medication, have an existing health condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are unsure whether echinacea is appropriate for you, speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional before taking it.
Particular caution may also be appropriate for people with allergies to plants in the daisy family or certain immune-related conditions.
And if you’re taking other supplements at the same time, it’s worth periodically looking at your complete routine rather than considering every product in isolation.
What Is Echinacea? The Bit Worth Remembering
Echinacea is far more interesting than the one-word ingredient we tend to see printed on supplement packets.
There are different species.
Different parts of the plant can be used.
There are different preparations and extracts.
And when an extract is standardised, that gives you another piece of information about what the product actually contains.
So the next time you pick up an echinacea supplement, don’t just look for the biggest milligram number.
Look at the species.
Look at the plant part.
Look at whether you’re buying an extract.
Look at whether it is standardised.
And read the directions for the individual product.
Because understanding what you’re taking is far more useful than simply adding another supplement to the cupboard.
Wellness doesn’t need more hype. It needs better information.
Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Always follow the directions on the product label and do not exceed the recommended intake. If you take medication, have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are unsure whether a supplement is suitable for you, seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
