Peer Reviewed
Complementary medicine update
Echinacea in the prevention and treatment of infections
Abstract
Echinacea is a traditional medicine commonly used to prevent or treat infections. An estimated 200 million doses are consumed yearly in Australia.
Key Points
What is echinacea?
Echinacea (coneflower) is a flowering genus of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family. Other members of the family include weeds like ragweed, decorative species like chrysanthemums, sunflowers and daisies, and edible species like lettuce and artichoke. Other plants in the family used in complementary medicine include dandelion, chamomile, feverfew, milk thistle and wormwood.
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