Echinacea angustifolia root

Echinacea angustifolia root (Echinacea angustifolia DC.), Asteraceae

Australian Herbal Pharmacopoeia (working title), Monograph AIP-HP 004
Status: version 1.0, live at https://www.australian-pharmacognosy.org/pharmacopoeia/echinacea-angustifolia/, all reviews and the pre-publication final test on record. Published at first draft under the CEO’s order. Botanical, QA and Medicine reviews and the Education and Research evidence and citation audit done in 2026; not reviewed by Legal (internal draft).
Date: 2026. Next review: on sign-off, then three-yearly or sooner if a major trial, safety signal or new pharmacopoeial text appears.
Prepared by: Dr Thomas Ridley, Head of Education and Research, Australian Institute of Pharmacognosy, Cardwell QLD.
Contributors: Dr Thomas Ridley (library and literature search, registry search, synthesis, drafting, figure sourcing and placement, AIP schematics and charts, reference verification). Section reviewers named in 0.1 are credited once they have reviewed. Dr Luke Iggulden set the scope of the series in the CEO directive; he did not write this monograph.

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0. Free teaser

0.1 Identity card

Monograph	AIP-HP 004, Echinacea angustifolia root. Version 1.0, 22/09/2026. Next review: on sign-off
Accepted name	Echinacea angustifolia DC., Asteraceae (APG IV). Accepted in WCVP/POWO (WCVP release 16/09/2026, read 22/09/2026; IPNI 87143-2) [1]
Synonyms	Homotypic: Brauneria angustifolia (DC.) A.Heller; Echinacea pallida var. angustifolia (DC.) Cronquist. Heterotypic: Echinacea angustifolia var. strigosa McGregor [1]. TGA ARTG and MediHerb: Echinacea angustifolia [9,26]
Drug name	Echinaceae angustifoliae radix, narrow-leaved coneflower root (Ph. Eur. 1821) [3]; WHO title Radix Echinaceae (covers E. angustifolia and E. pallida) [4]
Common names	Narrow-leaved coneflower, narrow-leaved purple coneflower, black sampson, Kansas snakeroot, Indian head (English); Schmalblättriger Sonnenhut (German); échinacée à feuilles étroites (French) [4,5]
Pharmacopoeial status	Ph. Eur.: monograph 01/2008:1821, corrected 6.0 (read in the Ph. Eur. 8.0 library copy) [3]. WHO monographs vol. 1 (1999): yes, as Radix Echinaceae [4]. EMA/HMPC: Community herbal monograph, traditional use, 2012 [5,6]. USP-NF and BP: monographs recorded by Mills and Bone (USP31-NF26 2008; BP 2012) [2]. BHP 1974 and 1983: listed, as recorded by the HMPC [6]
Australian status	Present in ARTG-listed medicines: the tablet used in two trials is AUST L 75124 [18]. Permissible Ingredients Determination and Poisons Standard entries not re-read for this draft (QA to confirm before release). Not native to Australia; no Atlas of Living Australia records under this name [19]
Assay marker	Echinacoside (CID 5281771): not less than 0.5 per cent, dried drug (Ph. Eur. 1821, HPLC at 330 nm) [3]
Identity markers	Echinacoside with cynarin (CID 5281769) on TLC and HPLC; absence of the cichoric acid zone excludes E. purpurea [3]. Cynarin separates E. angustifolia from E. pallida [4]. Alkamides (dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-tetraenoic acid isobutylamides, CID 6440539) are the manufacturer’s standardisation marker [9]
Evidence snapshot	Common cold prevention, E. angustifolia root alone: Tier C, 1 RCT plus 1 challenge trial, no significant benefit. Common cold treatment, E. purpurea plus E. angustifolia root tablets: Tier B, 1 large RCT, non-significant trend. Respiratory symptoms in air travel (same tablets): Tier C, 1 RCT, borderline. Wounds, skin and septic conditions: Tier T. Immune modulation: Tier P
Main safety point	Allergy, including anaphylaxis. Avoid with Asteraceae allergy, past severe allergy, or a reaction to echinacea or andrographis (TGA 2024 [29]). Theoretical concern with immunosuppressants
Suggested citation	Ridley T. Echinaceae angustifoliae radix (echinacea angustifolia root, Echinacea angustifolia DC.). Australian Herbal Pharmacopoeia monograph AIP-HP 004 (v1.0). Cardwell (QLD): Australian Institute of Pharmacognosy; 2026. DOI to be assigned
Compiler and review	Compiled by Dr Thomas Ridley (Education and Research). Technical review: Dr Fiona MacAllister (Botanical, sections 1-5, 10), reviewed in 2026; Dr Hana Suzuki (QA, sections 6-10), reviewed in 2026; Dr Eleanor Whitcombe (Medicine, sections 12, 13, 15), reviewed in 2026; Dr Thomas Ridley (Education and Research evidence and citation audit, sections 6-9 sources, 12, 13, 15, 16-19 and figures), reviewed in 2026 (compiler’s own audit; independent reference audit by the Librarian pending). Jesse Kirby (Community Outreach, figures and whole-document layout), reviewed in 2026. Published: 2026. Last modified: 2026. Version 1.0
Provenance	Original AIP data: none. Every limit, method, measurement and trial result comes from the cited pharmacopoeias, regulators, reference works and papers; sections 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10 are marked "AIP bench data pending"
Canonical URL	/pharmacopoeia/echinacea-angustifolia/

0.2 Summary

Echinacea angustifolia root is the dried root and rhizome of the narrow-leaved coneflower, a low prairie perennial of the central Great Plains of North America. The crude drug is a greyish-brown, sometimes spirally twisted root with a short fracture and a radiate cut surface; under the microscope it shows long bundles of lignified fibres edged with black phytomelanin, groups of sclereids, oleoresin canals with orange content and abundant inulin. The European Pharmacopoeia identifies it by thin-layer and liquid chromatography of its caffeic acid esters and requires at least 0.5 per cent echinacoside. Cynarin is present in this species and absent from E. pallida, the substitute most often sold in its place; Parthenium integrifolium and wrongly labelled seed stock are the other documented problems. Practitioners use the root, usually as a 1:2 liquid or tablet blended with E. purpurea root, to prevent and treat upper respiratory infections and for skin and wound conditions. Randomised trials of the root alone found no significant benefit; one large trial of a root blend showed a non-significant trend. The evidence is weak and conflicting. The main safety concern is allergy in people sensitive to the daisy family. Anyone considering it should consult a degree-qualified herbalist with competencies and adequate training in pharmacognosy.

0.3 Contents and extent (draft)

Section	Approx. pages
1-3 Nomenclature, definition, source and Australian supply	2
4-5 Macroscopy and microscopy (6 figures, 1 placeholder)	3
6-7 Chemistry, markers and limits (8 structures)	2.5
8-9 TLC and HPLC (3 figures)	2
10 Identity, purity, adulterants, contaminants	1.5
11 Traditional use	1
12 Current practice and doses	1
13 Clinical evidence (search, graded trials, registries, 2 charts)	4
14 Pharmacology	1.5
15 Safety	2
16-18 Discussion, conclusions, research needed	1.5
19-20 References and document control	3
Totals (draft)	About 25 A4 pages before layout; 16 tables; 20 embedded figures plus 1 captioned placeholder (2 licensed photographs of the living plant, 2 public-domain plates, 1 licensed root photograph, 8 PubChem structures, 3 AIP schematics labelled as redrawn from Ph. Eur. and WHO text, 1 licensed published chromatogram, 1 AIP range map, 2 AIP data charts); 0 photomicrographs; 1 chromatogram (published, ref 14). Gaps: F4 photomicrographs are AIP bench data pending, no licensed alternative found; AIP TLC plate and HPLC run pending (F7 is a schematic; F8 is a published licensed chromatogram). Trials: 7 randomised trials described, 5 graded, plus 1 Cochrane review. 31 references: 29 read in full, 2 trial reports (refs 30, 31) read as PubMed abstracts only

0.4 Contributors and access

Prepared by Dr Thomas Ridley, Head of Education and Research. Botanical, QA and Medicine reviews and the Education and Research evidence and citation audit done 22/09/2026; Librarian reference audit pending; A Legal read is advisory only and does not gate publication (CEO order 22/09/2026). The Australian Herbal Pharmacopoeia is AIP’s own series and carries no statutory, TGA or government standing. The full monograph is for subscribers (paywall wording to come from Legal and Community Outreach).

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1. Nomenclature

• Accepted name: Echinacea angustifolia DC. (Asteraceae), accepted in WCVP (release 16/09/2026, via ChecklistBank dataset 2000), IPNI 87143-2 [1]; POWO web page refused access (HTTP 403) on 22/09/2026.
• Synonyms (WCVP): homotypic Brauneria angustifolia (DC.) A.Heller and Echinacea pallida var. angustifolia (DC.) Cronquist; heterotypic E. angustifolia var. strigosa McGregor [1]. The WHO lists E. angustifolia var. angustifolia and var. strigosa McGregor as the source varieties and gives Brauneria angustifolia Heller and E. pallida var. angustifolia (DC.) Cronq. as synonyms [4].
• Taxonomic dispute: McGregor’s 1968 revision recognised nine species and four varieties and separated E. angustifolia from E. pallida [2,4]. A morphometric revision of 2001-2002 reduced it to E. pallida var. angustifolia; Mills and Bone record that this is still disputed [2]. WCVP treats that name as a synonym and keeps E. angustifolia DC. at species rank [1]. Ph. Eur., the EMA, MediHerb and the trials use E. angustifolia [3,5,9,16]. Aiello and colleagues note that some populations of E. angustifolia var. strigosa are tetraploid, like E. pallida [13].
• Authority written two ways: Ph. Eur. prints "Echinacea angustifolia (D.C.)" and Mills and Bone "(DC.) Hell."; the accepted form is E. angustifolia DC. [1,2,3].
• Family: Asteraceae (Compositae), APG IV; no recent change [1].
• Common names: narrow-leaved coneflower, American coneflower, black sampson, cock-up-head, Indian head, Kansas snakeroot, purple coneflower (English); Igelkopf, Kegelblume, Sonnenhut, Schmalblättriger-Sonnenhut-Wurzel (German); racine d’échinacée (French) [4,5]. Henkel (1907) adds pale-purple coneflower and Sampson-root [11]; a further name in that source is a racial slur and is not reproduced.
• Drug name and state: Echinaceae angustifoliae radix, the dried, whole or cut underground parts [3]. The WHO definition also admits fresh root and pools E. angustifolia with E. pallida under one title [4]; this monograph covers the dried root of E. angustifolia alone.
• Trade names in Australia: ARTG ingredient name "Echinacea angustifolia", without author (ARTG 384690, read 22/09/2026) [26]; MediHerb "Echinacea Angustifolia Root 1:2" (botanical name Echinacea angustifolia, part root) and "Echinacea Premium Blend 1:2" (60% E. purpurea root 1:2 with 40% E. angustifolia root 1:2); the A-Z work list also records Echinacea Premium and Andrographis Complex tablets [9].
• Name confusion: "Echinacea" on a label identifies neither species nor plant part. E. pallida was sold in Europe as E. angustifolia for years, and the WHO advises that data on "E. angustifolia" published before 1987 from European commercial material be read with caution [4].

2. Definition

The dried, whole or cut underground parts of Echinacea angustifolia DC., containing not less than 0.5 per cent of echinacoside (C35H46O20; Mr 786.5), calculated with reference to the dried drug.

Basis: Ph. Eur. monograph 01/2008:1821, corrected 6.0, as printed in the 8.0 edition held in the library [3]; the HMPC assessment report quotes the same definition [6]. The WHO set no minimum and gives a range of 0.4-1.7 per cent echinacoside for E. angustifolia and E. pallida roots [4]. Echinacoside is an assay marker; it is not shown to carry any clinical effect (sections 6.4 and 14). QA is asked to confirm the definition against the Ph. Eur. edition in force before release.

3. Source and Australian supply

Native range. Central North America. The Catalogue of Life (dataset 3LR, read 22/09/2026) records it in Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan) and in 13 US states: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming [17]. The WHO places the genus in the Atlantic drainage of the USA and Canada, with centres in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma [4]; Henkel described it in rich prairie or sandy soil, most abundant in Kansas and Nebraska [11]. GBIF did not respond on 22/09/2026, so no occurrence-point map is given.