History of Traditional Use of Echinacea
This member of the Compositae (daisy) family, sometimes referred to as Purple Coneflower was popularized by European research commencing in 1939 conducted primarily on the fresh pressed aerial portions of the flowering plant. Echinacea purpurea is scarce in the wild but is considered native to Arkansas and Missouri and to have traveled eastward after 1968. It is drought tolerant, and disease tolerant and therefore very easy to cultivate. In North America, E. angustifolia found in the plains of the U.S. was the species most widely used by Native Americans and practitioners of medicine in the 1800’s. All Echinacea purpurea currently used in commercial preparations is cultivated.
Structure Function Claims
Maintains a healthy Inflammatory Response.
Support Phagocytic activity of Macrophage cells.
Supports a Healthy Immune Response.
Promotes Healthy Levels of Interferon.
Mechanism of Therapeutic Action
The most widely studied preparation of Echinacea purpurea comes from the fresh pressed flowering juice and was first researched in Europe in 1939. Many chemicals are likely for its activity including, essential oils, flavanoids, polysaccharides, arabinogalactan proteins, caffeic acid derivatives and alkamide fractions. Utilizing a patent-pending extraction method, a new set of compounds have now been WholePlant Standardized and are known as “RX-P Factors”. RX-P Factors collectively represent the polysaccharides and glycoprotein fractions. RX-P Factors support the phagocytic activity of macrophage cells while promoting healthy levels of interferon; in doing so RX-P factors deliver a powerful preventative action and supply a naturally healthy immune response. RX-P factors are found only in Gaia Herbs Whole Body Defense formula, which was developed from findings during the last five years of research. The references below are for the published research made possible by Federal Grant # 1R44AT7771-01. To read the full papers go to the research section of this Website.
Macrophage Activating Effects of New Alkamides from the Roots of Echinacea species. Journal of Natural Products 2005, 68, 773-776. Ying Chen, Tong Fu, Tao Tao, Jinghua Yang, Yung Chang, Meihua Wang, Linda Kim, Luping Qu, John Cassady, Ricahrd Scalzo, and Xiping Wang.
Chromosome Karyotyes of Echinacea angustifolia var. angustifolia and E. purpurea. Hort Science Vol. 39(2) April 2004, 368-370. Luping Qu, Xiping Wang, Meihua Wang, Eatherly Hood, Richard Scalzo.
Specific Differentiation of Gaia Herbs Product
Gaia Herbs cultivates over 15 acres of Echinacea on its 250 Certified Organic farm in Brevard, NC. Gaia is the only US manufacturer that has been awarded a federal grant through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Centers for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), to study Echinacea (Grant # 1R44AT771). Gaia Herbs knows Echinacea like no other herb manufacturer. We are working to bring that understanding to the rest of the industry so that the benefit from using the correct product for the correct application can be fully realized by each consumer. Gaia Herbs captures the essence of Natures Vitality.
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