echinacea
Echinacea purpurea
Flavor Profile and Uses
Identification
Harvesting Instructions
- Strong floral flavor when prepared as a tea
- Can also be taken as a tincture, power capsule, spray, etc.
- Entire plant is medicinal and a highly effective and safe immune-booster
- Works well in treating colds and flus, both viral and bacterial infections
Identification
- Thrives in full sun and well drained, loamy soil with ample fertility
- Grows up to 5’ tall with a striking purple cone flower which grow from several stocks and are daisy shaped with central seed heads encircled by bright petals
- Leaves are lance shaped, somewhat coarse, and grow from the stem more densely at the base of the plant than the top
- Some varieties have roots that grow in a spreading, multi-branched root mass, while others have more of a taproot
Harvesting Instructions
- Begin harvest on a dry, sunny day when flowering in midsummer (lasts many weeks)
- Do not cut back all the tops at once, selectively harvest 10 – 20% of flowers at a time to allow healthy roots to develop throughout the season
- Dry blossoms and flowers in a single layer on a screen in a sheltered, well ventilated area for a couple of weeks (test many different flowers frequently as different sized blossoms dry at different rates and one less-than-dry flower can ruin a whole stash via mold)
- Store in an airtight container (preferably with paper or desiccation packets added to absorb moisture and prevent molding over time)
- Best practice is to check all dried plant material every couple of days for the first few weeks of storage to make sure no mold is growing
- Roots can be harvested in the fall of the 3rd or 4th year of plant growth
- Loosen the soil around the dead plant then dig by hand with a spade, fork, or shovel – carefully work the root out of the ground, maintaining as much of it as possible without breakage
- Cut up and wash long roots with a scrub brush, then dry in a single layer on a rack or tincture fresh
- Soil can get compacted in the central crown where the roots begin to branch out, therefore it is helpful to quarter the roots before washing
Carpenter, Jeff, and Carpenter, Melanie. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015.