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. This is one of the most widely used and storied medicinal plants in North American history.