ECHINACEA
ECHINACEA
Echinacea
;
German
: Sonnenhut;
English
: Cone
flower
.
Root.
The plants that belong to this genus are robust, with lanceolate leaves, whole and covered with hair (
E
.
angustifolia
,
E
.
pallida
) or oval, toothed and
almost
glabrous (
E
. purpurea) The inflorescence is
a
great chapter whose flowers have
peripheral
lígulas folded,
violet
,
red
or
almost
white (
E
.
pallida
)
Source
.
This genus is
common
in the
grasslands
of
central
and eastern North
America
from Texas to Georgia, from Nebraska to Pennsylvania. It
was
often grown in gardens. Their flowering season begins in June and ends in September.
Chemical composition.
In addition to non -
specific
compounds (inulin,
fatty acids
, sterols, rutoside, etc. the roots of
E
.
Angustifolia
contain
essential
oils, alkaloids pirrolizidínicos, acids, phenols free and esterified, also present in
E
.
Pallida
(leafy shoots) caféico acid, chlorogenic acid, cinarina, esters of tartaric acid esters and mono - dicaféicos (= 3. 4 - dihidroxicinámico acid) mono - esters and diferúlicos (3 - acid = methoxybenzaldehyde 4 - Cinnamic hydroxy) and acid esters osídicos caféico (equinacósido and verbascósido (ester diosídico) The biological
activity
is partly related to
a
fraction lipophilic [612] and, second, with the presence of polysaccharides immunostimulants.
Long - chain aliphatic compounds:
Long - chain aliphatic compounds:
Amides isobutilamina and highly unsaturated fatty acids: acids (2E, 4E, 8Z, 10 (
E
or Z) dodecan - 2, 4, 8, 10 - tetraenoic acid (2E - 7Z) tredeca - 2, 7 - dien - 10, 12 - diinoico, and so on. majority in
E
.
angustifolia
.
Polysaccharides:
present in
E
.
Angustifolia
,
has
made its structural study on the species
E
. Purpurea,
a
plantand cell cultures.
Pharmacological data.
Various investigations have been devoted to the study of the drugwhich is seen as immunostimulant, that is, capable of stimulating the body's defenses at different levels, also spoke of inducing parainmunidad.
Test clearance
carbon
granulocytes or show that the polysaccharides are responsible for this
activity
observed in vitro.
Activated
macrophages make
a
major, stimulating their phagocytic power, increasing their citoxicidad and activating the secretion of interleukin I. Acting weakly at the level of lymphocytes B. Do not act on the lymphocytes
T
. The use of polysaccharide produced by cell culture showed that one of them induce the secretion of TNF (tumor necrosis factor) from macrophages.
On the other hand, it
has
been found that the isobutilamida acid dodecatetraenoico is
a
potent inhibitor of lipoxygenaseand that some caffeic esters (eg equinacósido) are antiviral properties.
Observations on the Man.
His immunostimulant
activity
in various ailments due to
a
decrease or immune
deficiency
has
been shown through clinical trials. The
development
of this drug needs
a
better understanding of the active principles responsible for their action and the mechanisms involved in it. The efficacy of treatment depends on many factors such as duration, route of administration and the immune initial patient. The drug appears to lack of toxicity and does not cause side effects.
Employment.
Echinacea
and other drugs that can stimulate non -
specific
defense mechanisms, are used in the countries of Germanic culture, where they see it as
a
possible alternative to chemotherapy and taken as the prevention of
infectious
states. The preparations based on
echinacea
, are indicated as an adjunct of drug treatment of mild
infections
or for prophylaxis of
infections
in patients at risk. To be transient stimulation of the immune
system
, it is recommended to use in short periods and at regular intervals.
In Spain authorizing the use of this plant for prophylaxis and treatment of patients with mild to moderately severe colds,
flu
and other
infectious
diseases
of the
respiratory
system
.
Precautions.
not given to
children
under two years. The dosage for
children
is 1 capsule per 10 kg.
weight
per day.
The drug.
The root form
a
cylinder regular (10 - 20 x 0. 5 - 1 cm) slightly ringed and marked with scars in the form of "V". The smell and the taste is weak, at first sweet, then becomes strong and pungent. Examined under
a
microscope, the result shows
a
cortical parenchyma cellulosic containing small clusters of cells esclerificadas elongated cylinder and
a
central
part in the
peripheral
in which crystallizes inulin. For
a
long time as two varieties of one species,
E
.
angustifolia
and
E
.
pallida
are two completely different species karyological as both morphological and anatomical. The analysis by
C
.
C
.
F
. and
H
.
P
. L.
C
. of methanol extract of the roots, also allow to differentiate clearly.
Bibliography.
R. BAUER,
P
. Remige and
H
. WAGNER.
Vergleichende DC - und HPLC - Analyze von der Herb - Drug.
Echinacea
purpurea,
E
.
E
.
pallida
und
Angustifolia
.
Dtsch. Apoth - Ztg. 28, 174 - 180, 1988.
A
. CHEMINAT, R. ZAWATZKY,
H
. Becker and R. BROUI.
Llardén.
Caffeoyl conjugate from
Echinacea
species: structures and.
biological
activity
.
Phytochemistry, 27, 2787 - 2794, 1988.
R. BAUER, I.
A
. KHAN, J. PUHLMANN and
H
. WAGNER.
TLC and HPLC analysis of
Echinacea
pallida
and
E
.
Angustifolia
.
roots.
Planta Med
. 54, 426 - 430, 1988; see also:
H
. SOICKE, G.
AL - HASSAN and
K
. Gorle, Weitere Kaffeesäure Derivatives aus.
Echinacea
purpurea,
Planta Med
. 54, 175 - 176, 1988.
R. BAUER,
K
. JURCIC, J. PUHLMANN and
H
. WAGNER.
Immunologische In - vivo In - vitro - und Untersuchungen ECHI - mit.
NACE - Extrakten.
Arzneim. Forsch. 38, 276 - 281, 1988.
R. BAUER, I.
A
. KHAN, W. And
H
. WRAY WAGNER.
Two acetylenic compounds from
Echinacea
pallida
roots.
Phytochemistry, 26, 1198 - 1200, 1987.
R. BAUER,
P
. Remige and
H
. WAGNER.
Alkamides from the broken of
Echinacea
angustifolia
.
Phytochemistry, 28, 505 - 508, 1989.
R. BAUER, I. KHAN and
H
. WAGNER.
Echinacea
- Drugs. Standardisierung mittels und HPLC DC.
Dtsch. Apoth - Ztg. 126, 1065 - 1070, 1986.
H
. WAGNER,
A
. Proksch, I. REISS - MAURER,
A
. Vollmer, S. Odenthal,
H
. STUPPNER,
K
. JURCIC, M. LE TURDU and J. N. FANG.
Immunstimulierend wirkende polysaccharide (Heteroglycane) höhere Pflanzen us.
Arzneim. Forsch, 35, 1069 - 1075, 1985.
a
)
A
. Proksch and
H
. WAGNER.
Structural analysis of
a
glucuronoarabinoxylan - 4 - 0. methyl.
With immuno - stimulating
activity
from
Echinacea
purpurea.
Phytochemistry, 26, 1989 - 1993, 1987.
b)
H
. WAGNER,
H
. STUPPNER, W. SCHÄFER and M. ZENKER.
Immunologically active polysaccharide of
Echinacea
purpurea.
cell cultures.
Phytochemistry, 27, 119 - 126, 1988.
R. BAUER &
H
. WAGNER.
Echinacea
- Der - Sonnenhut Stand der Forschung.
Z. für Phytother. 9, 151 - 159, 1988; erratum:
ibid. 191 - 192.
H
. WAGNER and
A
. Proksch, of immunostimulatory drugs.
fungi and higher plants. In:
Economic and medicinal plant re -
search,
H
. WAGNER,
H
. HIKINO and N. R. FARNSWORTH, ed.
London, Academic Press, 1
p
. 113 - 153, 1985; see also
H
.
WAGNER, Immunostimulants from higher plants (recent Advan -
ces) In:
biologically active
natural
products,
K
. Hostetter -
MANN and
P
. J. LEA, ed. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 127 - 141, 1987.
M. STIMPEL,
A
. Proksch,
H
. And M. WAGNER - L - LOH.
MANN - MATHES.
Macrophage activation and induction of macrophage cytotoxicity by.
polysaccharide fractions purified from the plant
Echinacea
purpurea.
Infect
Immun. 46, 845 - 849, 1984.
W. Breuer, Thesis (Munich) quoted by
H
. WAGNER.
Search for new plant constituents with potential antiphlogistic.
and antiallergic
activity
.
Planta Med
. 55, 235 - 241, 1989.
H
. WAGNER.
Immunstimulation mit Pflanzliche Arzneimilleln.
Scheweiz. Apoth. Ztg. 126, 624 - 629, 1988.
a
) G. R. HEUBL,
H
. and R. BAUER WAGNER.
Morphologische und Studien anatomische an
Echinacea
- purpu.
rea,
E
.
angustifolia
,
E
.
pallida
und Parthenium integrifolium.
Pharm Sci. 56, 145 - 160, 1988; see also R. BAUER &
H
.
WAGNER, Neue Ergebnisse von zur Analytik -
Echinacea
- WUR.
Zelner, ibid, 55, 159 - 161, 1987.
b) R. BAUER &
P
. Remige.
TLC and HPLC analysis of alkamides in
Echinacea
drugs.
Planta Med
. 55, 367 - 371, 1989.
a
)
K
. JURCIC,
D
. MELCHART, M. Holzmann,
P
. MAR.
TIN, R. BAUER,
A
. DOENECKE and
H
. WAGNER.
Probandenstudien zwei der zur Stimulierung - Granulozyten.
phagozytose durch
Echinacea
- Extrakt - haltige Präparate.
Z. für Phytother. 10, 67 - 70, 1989.
b)
E
. COEUGNIET and R. KÜHNAST.
Rezidivierende
Candidiasis
, adjuvant Immuntherapie mit.
Verschiedene ECHINACIN R - Darreichungsformen.
Therapiewoche, 36, 3352 - 3358, 1986.
Diseases
whose treatment is appropriate in this plant.
Flu
.
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