What is echinacea used for and what does it do?    • Q: What is
echinacea used for? What does the drug echinacea do?   • A:
Echinacea is an herb, traditionally utilized to prevent or treat
colds and flu, as well as other infections, according to the
National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Echinacea is also used to
treat wounds and problems associated with the skin, like acne or
boils. Echinacea is thought to stimulate the immune system to
fight infections. There are nine identified species of
Echinacea, all of which can be found in the United States and
Canada. Echinacea purpurea is thought to be the most potent
species. Echinacea is used in many preparations from teas to
external dosage forms. Some studies have shown that echinacea
may have beneficial effects in treating upper respiratory tract
infections. However, other studies, such as two funded by NCCAM,
did not show that echinacea had beneficial effects in treating
colds in children or adults. Ec