Evidence supporting the use of: Echinacea (various)
For the health condition: Skin (infections)

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 2

Echinacea, a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family, has a long history of traditional use among Native American tribes and later in European-American herbal medicine. Traditionally, Echinacea roots and aerial parts were applied topically or used internally to treat various skin infections, wounds, and inflammatory skin conditions. Native Americans used Echinacea species, particularly Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea, for snake bites, boils, abscesses, and other skin afflictions, likely due to observed anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Early 20th-century American Eclectic physicians also adopted Echinacea in their pharmacopeia for skin infections and sepsis before the antibiotic era. Modern scientific validation is limited. Some in vitro studies show Echinacea extracts have mild antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, but robust clinical trials in humans targeting skin infections are lacking. Most clinical research for Echinacea focuses on respiratory infections, not dermal applications. Therefore, while there is a strong tradition of Echinacea use for skin infections, scientific evidence remains preliminary and does not robustly support efficacy for this indication.

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