The flowers are a rich purple and the florets are seated round a high cone; seeds four-sided achenes. Root tapering cylindrical entire slightly spiral longitudinally furrowed; fracture short. fibrous; bark thin; wood thick in alternate porous.

Increases bodily resistance to infection, immune system stimulant (specifically for low WBC count), blood and lymphatic purifier, stimulates interferon production, anti-bacterial and anti-viral.

Oil and resin both in wood and bark and masses of inulin, inuloid, sucrose, vulose, betaine, two phytosterols and fatty acids, oleic, cerotic, linolic and palmatic acids.

Boils, erysipelas, septicaemia, cancer, syphilis and other impurities of the blood.

Burger RA. Torres AR. Warren RP. Caldwell VD. Hughes BG. Echinacea-induced cytokine production by human macrophages. Int J Immunopharmacol1997 Jul;19(7):371-9.