Echinacea angustifolia E. purpurea

Perri, D., J.J. Ehigoua, E. Mills, and G. Keren. 2006. Safety and efficacy of echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea and E. pallida) during pregnancy and lactation. Can. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 13(3) e262-e267. 

Alkamides are responsible for the sharp, burning or tingling taste associated with herbs and spices such as prickly ash bark (Zan-thoxylum spp.), black pepper (Piper nigrum). Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea and cayenne (Capsicum spp.). Capsicum oleoresin contains several phenolic amides including capsaicin. 

Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea Spilanthes oleracea Achillea millefolium Chamaemelum nobile... 

The three most widely used species of Echinacea are Echinacea purpurea, E pallida, and E angustifolia. The chemical constituents include flavonoids, lipophilic constituents (eg, alkamides, polyacetylenes), water-soluble polysaccharides, and water-soluble caffeoyl conjugates (eg, echinacoside, chicoric acid, caffeic acid). Within any marketed echinacea formulation, the relative amounts of these components are dependent upon the species used, the method of manufacture, and the plant parts used. Epurpurea has been the most widely studied in clinical trials. Although the active constituents of echinacea are not completely known, chicoric acid from E purpurea and echinacoside from E pallida and E angustifolia, as well as alkamides and polysaccharides, are most often noted as having immune-modulating properties. Most commercial formulations, however, are not standardized for any particular constituent. 

So does echinacea work One would think that this would be a relatively simple question to answer, but it isn t. The best reply I can come up with is that some echinacea preparations work for some conditions in some people some of the time. I realize that this is not very satisfying, but such is the nature of the herbal beast. First of all there are nine species of echinacea, although manufacturers only use three (E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida) to make supplements. Each of these plants has a different chemical profile. Each contains dozens of compounds some they have in common, some they don t. Furthermore, their leaves, flowers, stems, and roots have different compositions. An alcohol extract of the root will have a very different chemical makeup from a hexane extract of the stem or from capsules filled with dried, powdered leaves. Before we even... 

Echinacea Echinacea species (E angustifolia E pallida purpurea) Roots and seeds from the echinacea plant Immune stimulant treatment of colds and upper respiratory tract infections applied topically to promote wound healing... 

Echinacea (pronounced ek-a-NAY-sha) or purple coneflower is a perennial plant in the Compositae or daisy family (Foster, 1985). Traditional literature has reported that nine species of Echinacea exists in nature. However, under a new reclassification system, eight varieties are categorized under only four species (Binns et al., 2002a). Echinacea (E.) pallida var. angustifolia (hereafter referred to as E. angustifolia) and E. purpurea are the most common species of Echinacea. E. angustifolia is a wild flower in North... 

A qualitative determination of the CAP in E. pallida showed that the roots contain high echinacoside levels whereas, cichoric acid was the predominant CAP in the flowers and leaves (Cheminat et al., 1988). This qualitative evaluation is a reasonable approximation of the CAP distribution in plant tissue however, the level of the individual CAP is dictated by the Echinacea species evaluated. Pietta et al. (1998) presented a qualitative evaluation on the CAP in E. purpurea, E. pallida and E. angustifolia using micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). These authors noted that echinacoside was present in the roots and aerial parts of the E. pallida and E. angustifolia, but not E. purpurea. Cichoric acid is the predominant CAP in E. purpurea roots and aerial parts but is virtually absent in all parts of E. angustifolia and roots of E. pallida. The presence of other CAP in plant tissues is variable and species-variety-dependent (Tables III-V). 

Gas chromatography (GC)-MS coupled with multivariate statistical analysis proved valuable in verifying the authenticity of Echinacea species (Lienert et al, 1998). Similar root extracts could be grouped, based on the identified compounds from the GC-run, by principal component and cluster analysis. The correct grouping of the Echinacea species (i.e., purpurea, angustifolia, and pallida) was not influenced by the extraction method or by the aging process of the roots. 

Echinacea is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States and as a natural health product in Canada. However, Health Canada does support the use of Echinacea in food products thus functional foods could be developed for the Canadian market. In the United States and Canada, there are no restrictions on the species/varieties used in products. In Germany and many European countries, Echinacea products are sold as drugs in pharmacies (Bauer, 2000). In addition, not all products are approved for use in all countries. For example, E. purpurea aerial parts and E. pallida roots are approved in Germany whereas E. angustifolia and E. purpurea roots are not (Blumenthal, 1998). 

FIG. 9 Sunflower oil stability (induction time (IT) sample/IT control) under Rancimat (110°C) conditions and in the presence of ground Echinacea (0.05-1%) E. purpurea herb (EPH) and root (EPR), and E. angustifolia herb (EAH) and root (EAR). 

In addition to oil-stability evaluations, AA retention was evaluated in orange juice treated with E. purpurea and E. angustifolia extracts and stored at room temperature. Our initial studies at North Dakota State University showed that the addition of ground Echinacea plant tissue was ineffective at preventing AA loss. For example, only 8% of the AA remained after 48 h in the orange juice treated with dried aerial parts. A 30% loss of AA after 48 h was found in the control juice. In contrast, 91 and 94% of AA was retained in the orange juice treated with ethanol extracts of the aerial parts and roots, respectively. In a subsequent study,... 

FIG. 10 Peroxide values of com oil treated with various Echinacea extracts and concentration (0.05 and 0.5%). Hexane extracts of E. purpurea herb (PHH) and root (PRH). Ethanol extracts of E. purpurea herb (PHE) and root (PRE). Hexane extracts of E. angustifolia herb (AHH). Ethanol extracts of E. angustifolia herb (AHE) and root (ARE). 

Echinacea is a group of American coneflowers in the Family Asteraceae/ Compositae. There are nine species of the plant included in the genus. Three of these are typically seen in herbal preparations Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Echinacea pallida. Common preparations consist of freshly pressed or ethanolic extracts of the roots, leaves, and flowers as well as dried portions of the plants. E. purpurea is the most commonly used species, although it is often seen in combination with E. angustifolia (1). 

Echinacea is regulated as a dietary supplement in the United States (40). The Homeopathic Mother tincture is a Class C over-the-counter drug official in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (41), Official Compendium (1992). E. angustifolia powdered and powdered extract, E. pallida powdered and powdered extract, E. purpurea root, powdered root extract, and powdered extract have monographs for their identity, quality, and other... 

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