The picture shows coneflower seed heads in the late fall. This is what echinacea seeds look like in Autumn in Ohio.
One of the most popular herbs on the planet is the echinacea. It is an awesome medicinal herbs that build your immune-system to fight disease and infection. My family uses it to prevent cold and flu symptoms. In early winter, we put a couple of drops of echinacea tincture in a glass of orange juice in the morning. You don’t taste it and your body fight pretty strong against those virus.
Echinacea plants are also called coneflower plants. The tincture of echinacea purpurea can be found in any pharmacy or local health store. But for now, I do my own tincture for pennies and I am proud of it. Also I know what I put in it and I strongly believe that local plants are better for your health. Are you interested? I will show you how.
Making echinacea tincture
You can do echinacea tincture with the beautiful flowers, the leaves and the roots. You will have better potency with the roots. First set aside a few nice leaves and dry them. Then you scrub the roots real good and dry them, too. To make a tincture, I finely chop one-half cup of Echinacea roots and leaves, place it in a small jar, and cover it with 80-proof vodka. After a good shake, the jar goes into a dark cabinet, where it is shaken daily. After three weeks, I filter the echinacea tincture. Et Voilà!
Echinacea tincture
You can do echinacea tincture with the beautiful flowers, the leaves and the roots. I suggest to use more roots because you have better potency with the roots.
Ingredients
- Echinacea leaves, roots and flowers
- High proof alcohol vodka
Instructions
First set aside a few nice leaves and dry them. Then you scrub the roots real good and dry them, too. To make a tincture, I finely chop a big cup of Echinacea roots and leaves, place it in a small jar, and cover it with 80-proof vodka. After a good shake, the jar goes into a dark cabinet, where it is shaken daily. After 4-6 weeks, I filter the echinacea tincture. Et Voilà!
How to grow purple echinacea?
You can sow echinacea seeds from the previous year flower heads or buy a packet from the store. Echinacea is easy to grow from seed, but requires a cold period—called cold stratification—in order to germinate. Sow seeds thickly in the fall, covering with light mulch to discourage birds from eating them.
I started mine from little transplants bought at my local nursery. You find them in the perennial section. I you plant the seeds now, they will only germinate in the spring. And most plants will bloom during the second year.
Echinacea thrives in full sun to partial sun. Direct sunlight is better. Echinacea seedlings need at least four hours of sunlight per day. The plants grow natively in North America along the edges of woodlands, so they will thrive in spots with morning shade and afternoon sun.
Echinacea will tolerate poor clay soil, but will not grow in wet soil. Mulch new plants with compost at the time of planting.
Because this native plant establish deep taproots, you need to plant them where you want them. They do not like to be moved once established.
Plant these wonderful plants in the spring or the fall.
Beneficial insects
Like all animals, insects require a few basic necessities to live: food, water and shelter. In addition to feasting on delicious insects, predators also sip nectar and pollen from flowers. Floral resources provide energy necessary for survival and reproduction. Planting an abundance of flowering plants like echinacea throughout the landscape is the best way to attract and support beneficial insects. Plan for a full season of flowers to provide a continuous supply of nectar.
This is what echinacea seeds look like?
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Good beginners book
In her book, Medicinal herbs a beginner’s guide, Rosemary Gladstar writes “Extensive research, much of it conducted in Germany and other European countries, confirm that echinacea raises the body’s natural resistance to infection by stimulating and aiding immune function” (2012, p.130)
I love her book and if you would like to buy it click on the link below. I would be grateful because as an Amazon Associate I earn a little percentage from qualifying purchases.
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