238 pages, 16 b/w illustrations
Echinacea: Herbal Medicine with a Wild History provides an in-depth analysis of one the of most popular medicinal plants-Echinacea a species that is native to only the US and Canada. There are nine Echinacea species and several roots and above-ground portions of these showy wildflowers have been used in herbal medicine as an immune stimulant and to reduce one's chances of catching a cold. Considerable medical research supports these claims.
The most popular species and the primary one wild-harvested is the one native to the Great Plains, Echinacea angustifolia. It has a long history of use, including being both historically and currently the most widely-used medicinal plant by any of the Great Plains Native Americans. The importance of this species is described by the editor with a few key contributors chosen to relate the important facets of the story of this interesting plant: Echinacea's biology, ecology, medicinal uses, markets, production and harvest, along with population biology, legal protections, ethnobotany, and history.
The US Forest Service has expressed concern about the conservation status of Echinacea species on their lands, especially on the National Grasslands and National Forest units in the northern Great Plains. Overall, the future status of Echinacea, as an important medicinal plant and in the wild is not grim, but Echinacea: Herbal Medicine with a Wild History provides a clear perspective of why both cultivated and wild-harvested Echinacea will continue to be available to consumers without threatening the remaining populations.
Foreword by Steven Foster
Preface by Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 1 Introduction by Kelly Kindscher
I. Cultural use
Chapter 2 Uses of Echinacea angustifolia and other Echinacea species by Native Americans of the Great Plains by Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 3 Cultivation of Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea by Maggie Riggs and Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 4 Naming and classification of Echinacea species - by Kelly Kindscher and Rebecca Wittenberg
Chapter 5 Biology and ecology of echinacea by Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 6 A species-by-species overview by Kelly Kindscher
III. Wild populations
Chapter 7 One hundred twenty years of Echinacea angustifolia harvest in the Smoky Hills of Kansas by Dana Price and Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 8 Threats to wild echinacea populations by Kelly Kindscher
IV. The medicine and the market
Chapter 9 The Medicinal Chemistry of Echinacea species by Congmei Cao and Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 10 Research on Echinacea species use in western medicine by Jeanne Drisko and Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 11 The Echinacea market - by Maggie Riggs and Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 12 The Media and echinacea Sales and Use by Rachel Craft and Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 13 Legal protection of Echinacea and other medicinal plant species by Robyn Klein and Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 14 Recommendations regarding the conservation status of echinacea by Kelly Kindscher
Chapter 15 Appendix A: Science in Action: a model for monitoring Echinacea populations by Kelly Kindscher and Dana Price
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Kelly Kindscher, PhD, is a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey and a Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Kansas. His research specialties are plant community ecology, conservation biology, restoration ecology, botany, and ethnobotany. He is known as a passionate speaker for the wild-wild prairies, wild plants, and wild landscapes.