History of Traditional Use of Echinacea angustifolia
The Eclectics were a group of Doctors who used primarily botanical medicine from the 1830’s until the 1930’s, and were largely responsible for popularizing Echinacea angustifolia. The Lloyd Brothers were pharmacists and botanists who supplied the Eclectics with “Specific Echinacea” and Echafolta; a purified and potent form of the plant medicine made from E. angustifolia root. Prof. John Uri Lloyd studied this botanical remedy for thirteen years starting in 1885 without determining the exact chemical composition of the acrid tongue numbing chemicals now known as alkylamides or isobutylamides. It was and is still used as an “alterative” which is a class of plants known to support the removal of cellular waste while maintaining healthy uptake of nutrition at the cellular level. Before the Eclectics even thought of using Echinacea it was used by Native American medicine men and holds an honored place in the folk culture of many tribes of the plains as depicted in their artwork, particularly their beadwork. It was more than a medicine to our Native ancestors and was honored as a Spirit. The taproot was chewed for the common cold, soreness of the throat, for toothache and applied topically to various eruptions of the skin from simple boils to gangrenous infection. This is one of the most widely used and storied medicinal plants in North American history.
Structure Function Claims
Maintains a Healthy Inflammatory Response to Seasonal Stressors.
Promotes Healthy Drainage of the Lymphatic System.
Supports a Healthy Immune System Response.
Mechanism of Therapeutic Action
The exact mechanism of E. angustifolia’s effect on the mucosal membranes has not been fully understood until recently. Research conducted by Gaia Herbs and several institutions and Universities has elucidated compounds that have restructured our understanding of how Echinacea works. These compounds are called RxA Factors and represent the alkylamide fractions known as isobutlyamides. RxA Factors are found in the roots of E. angustifolia and purpurea and also in the mature ripe seed of E. purpurea. RxA Factors help maintain a healthy inflammatory response. RxA Factors supports the tissues of the sinuses and throat that are exposed to airborne stressors and balance an acutely challenged immune system. Both the pre-inflammatory chemical messengers Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and the RxA factors found in Echinacea compete for the same receptor sites known as canabanoid 2 (CB-2) receptors. When Echinacea is taken at the same time TNF alpha is activated by sinus and respiratory challenges, RxA factors successfully bind to CB-2 receptors and effectively inhibit the uptake of TNF alpha thus promoting a healthy inflammatory response.
Specific Differentiation of Gaia Herbs Product
Gaia Herbs was the first manufacturer in the United States to use isobutylamides or alkylamides as a marker compound on its product label. Five years of sponsored research and over ten years of independent research have led to the increased understanding of why some Echinacea products work at the onset of respiratory challenge, and why some don’t. If using an Echinacea product at the onset of the common cold, it is imperative to use one highly concentrated in alkylamides. Gaia Herbs cultivates all of it’s Echinacea on the 250 certified Organic Farm in Brevard, NC. It then extracts the material in its adjacent Certified Organic manufacturing laboratory. No other company in North America has invested as much time, resources and effort in researching Echinacea.
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