Echinacea - History and Folklore
The various species of plants now called echinacea grow in North America and were used for medicinal purposes, especially by the Plains Indian tribes. The most common uses were treatment for snakebite and as an aromatic in sweat lodges. Among other names, the common name snakeroot was used for echinacea plants because of the snakelike appearance of the roots. The early uses of echinacea did not include an association with cold or flu, since communicable respiratory illnesses apparently were unknown in the New World before Columbus. The indigenous practice of chewing echinacea leaves or roots for toothache or sore gums was extended to sore throat and cough by the fraction of the population that survived exposure to European-imported epidemics. Cold and flu symptoms remained rare among Native Americans. As with other medicinal plants, echinacea was reported as useful for many conditions by tribes in various parts of the continent.
