Immunotropic activity of Echinacea. Part I. History and chemical structure

Use of Echinacea species (E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida) has a long history in therapy, beginning from North American Indians. They were used internally and topically as antiseptic, antiinflammatory, and analgesic drugs, for curing burns, snake and insect bites, and also as general immunoenhancer. Chemical compounds such as carbohydrates, fatty acids, derivatives of caffeic and tartaric acids, flavonoids, fitosterols, polisaccharides (heteroxylans and arabinoramnogalactans) and isobutyloamides, poliacetylenes, essential oils and other constituents were detected in fresh plants, and differences depended on the species. Chicoric and caftaric acids were the main phenolic compounds of E. purpurea herb, cynarin was a characteristic component of E. angustifolia roots, echinacoside was the main phenolic in E. angustifolia and E. pallida roots.