Echinacea: an effective alternative to antibiotics

Abstract

Echinacea is one of the most popular herbs in modern Europe and United States marketplaces. Unfortunately, most of the Echinacea consumed is misused, based on its misrepresentation as an effective cold and flu remedy. Throughout the later part of the nineteenth century and the first thirty years of the twentieth century, Echinacea was the preferred treatment for infections. The introduction of antibiotics resulted in the eclipse of Echinacea, along with the professional medical doctors, known as the "Eclectics," who based their treatment on the use of herbs.