When you need echinacea - tincture and herbal preparations?

Echinacea purple - a fairly common plant that resembles a daisy, only with bright leaves. In pharmacies is sold "Echinacea-tincture" or dry grass of this amazing plant. This drug has an immunostimulating effect, it can increase the body's resistance to various viral respiratory infections.

Echinacea includes polysaccharides, flavonoids, essential oils, saponins, tannins, organic acids, and this list is not yet complete. In addition, in the roots of the plant is inulin, glucose, phenol carboxylic acids. Echinacea has a rich mineral composition. It contains potassium and calcium, silver, selenium, molybdenum, cobalt, zinc and manganese. Found in echinacea purpurea and a large number of different enzymes.

The form in which Echinacea is most often used is tincture. To produce it, both roots and inflorescences of the plant are used, which are harvested in the low season: either in early spring or late autumn. Their collection occurs during blooming.

Echinacea (tincture), the use of which is especially common in folk medicine, helps to treat not only viral infections. Preparations from this plant are good for treating burns, for healing wounds. Some diseases of the genitals (inflammatory processes in women, impotence in men) are also amenable to treatment with this herb.

For internal use Echinacea (tincture) is used. Usually, the doctor prescribes taking 20-30 drops (it is recommended to hold it in your mouth for a while, not swallowing) three times a day. For a quick effect at the beginning of treatment, it is possible to take a "shock dose" of 50 drops, and then every hour or two for 10 to 20 drops. Internal use of the plant "Purple Echinacea" (tincture) instruction is limited to two months. Further use is possible only on the advice of a doctor and then in some cases.

The bacteriostatic and fungicidal antimycotic action of the tincture has been experimentally proved, which also causes its external application in case of trophic ulcers, microbial eczema, osteomyelitis.

Because Echinacea purpurea effectively increases immunity, it is used after radiotherapy, chemotherapy, prolonged antibiotic treatment - in all cases, when it goes down. Echinacea extract inhibits reproduction and growth of streptococci, staphylococci, influenza and herpes viruses, E. coli. In addition to successful treatment of the upper respiratory tract, tincture is indicated for rheumatism, polyarthritis, prostatitis, and some gynecological diseases.

In the treatment of gastric ulcers, too, Echinacea (tincture of oily) in combination 1: 1 with sea buckthorn oil is used. Drink 2 tablespoons a night for a course of up to two weeks.

Adnexitis, prostatitis, cystitis and urethritis are treated with plant roots in combination with other herbs. Effective, for example, such a collection:

- roots of echinacea (2 parts),

- Common heather (4 parts),

- Poplar buds black (2 parts),

- common sporish (4 parts),

- mother-and-stepmother (2 parts),

- rose hips (2 parts),

- Yarrow ordinary (2 parts).

Two tablespoons of this mixture is poured into a glass of water, boiled for five minutes, then insisted for four hours. Drink before meals (for 30 minutes) to 50 ml.

The following collection is useful for external use: roots of echinacea (2 h), flowers of inoculum (4 h), root of wild chicory (4 h), nettle (4 h), cinnamon (2 h), cinnamon (2 h) Herb infestation (4 hours). Preparation is similar to the previous collection, but is used as a lotion.

There is one important limitation. Echinacea can not be taken for a long time to avoid possible stress of the immune system (the consequences can be unpleasant). Therefore, in all cases, treatment with small courses is recommended with interruptions of several weeks.