Echinacea has antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Although taken internally, it can also be used topically on wounds or inflamed skin. It has been used to treat candida, a maddening yeast infection, and in some cases used as a mouthwash to treat gingivitis. There are several medicinal species of echinacea . All are native to the Great Plains and southern United States, but they are becoming scarce in the wild today due to overharvesting by paid gatherers.
Some medicinal supplies come from cultivated fields in the United States and Europe.
One species, Echinacea purpurea, is a herbaceous plant three to four feet in height with reddish, purple, or pinkish flowers. It is commonly called purple coneflower, black Sampson, or Kansas snakeroot. The leaves, roots, and flowers are the medicinal parts of this plant. North American Indians were the first to use another species, E. angustifolia, as a medicine to treat snakebite, toothache, sore throats, respiratory ailments, and skin wounds. In the 1700s, European settlers applied it to saddle sores on their horses.