Chapters
Echinacea root is one of the best-known herbal products in the world, and the Institute's monographs on Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea grade the published evidence for colds as very low certainty. This film works out why. "Echinacea" on a label can mean two species and several plant parts, and many of the early positive trials tested pressed juice from the tops of the plant, which has different chemistry from the root.
It starts on the laboratory bench: thin-layer chromatography for the caffeic acid derivatives (echinacoside, cynarin, cichoric acid) and the root microscopy, where black phytomelanin deposits separate E. angustifolia from E. purpurea. Then it audits the trials, including how far the doses tested fell below the amounts Australian herbalists use, and the alkylamides, which reach the blood and are handled by the liver's CYP enzymes. The monograph reports that a 60:40 root blend of the two species changes that liver handling. The last section covers safety: allergy in people sensitive to the daisy family, the TGA's 2026 review of anaphylaxis reports involving andrographis and echinacea products, and interactions through CYP3A and CYP1A2.