The benefits of echinacea are well known in the culture of the
North American Plains Indians, who used it more than any other
plant to help maintain their health during the winter time.
They also applied root poultices, used Echinacea mouthwash and
drank the tea. It was prominent in America until the 1940's. The
Europeans, who discovered it in the 1930's, still use it extensively.
Botanists named the plant after the hedgehog (Echinus) to describe
its prickly, cone-like center. It grows naturally in the Midwest
states from western Pennsylvania to Kansas and as far south as
Northern Texas. Hundreds of scientific studies have indicated
that one of the benefits of Echinacea is to help support immune
function. In recent years, research has discovered a mechanism
by which Echinacea may help. One of the primary defense mechanisms
of the body is made of a jelly-like substance called Hyaluronic
Acid (HA). HA occurs in the tissues between cells to 'cement'
them together. There is an enzyme, hyaluronidase, which attacks
HA in a way not fully understood. When it does, the HA quickly
loses its jelly-like viscosity, and this protective 'cement' loses
its effectiveness. If the enzyme is allowed to destroy the integrity
of the HA barrier, immune function may suffer. One of the key
benefits of echinacea has been shown to be prevention of the enzyme
from dissolving HA. Forever Echinacea Supreme contains both of
the most highly prized forms of Echinacea (Purpurea and Angustifolia),
plus Goldenseal and Grape Seed Extract, for maximum benefits.....
