Echinacea Tea

Echinacea Tea is a popular herbal tea. Definitely give this healing herb a chance in your healing garden.  You’ve no doubt heard about the wonderful properties of this plant.  Echinacea has been noted for the last several years as a powerful booster for your immune system.

Many individuals take this herb in capsule or tablet form as a supplement, especially during the winter months, to avoid contracting colds  and the flu during the winter months. You can also have it in Echinacea Tea.

This plant, with its large, bright flower is also known as the purple coneflower. There are three distinct varieties of Echinacea:  Echinacea pallid, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pupuea.  All three have similar medicinal effects.

This plant is also used for respiratory infections by many herbalists.  In Europe, it’s not unusual for medicinal doctors to prescribe this to their patients for a variety of remedies.

You might think with all these wonderfully effective health benefits, Echinacea would be near impossible to grow (aren’t we conditioned to believe there’s a catch behind every good thing?).  Well nothing could be further from the truth.  It’s actually quite easy to grow.  One of the most amazing aspects of their success is their tolerance for dry conditions.

And you can actually grow this amazing plant from seed with little trouble.  Plant the seeds when your soil reaches between 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the spring.

You need do nothing more initially than sow the seeds on the surface.  Within 10 to 20 days, you should notice the seeds germinating. Once this happens, then you’ll cover them with about one-eighth of an inch of soil.

When they reach the seedling stage, you’ll want to thin the plants so they’re about 18 to 24 inches apart.

This plant prefers shade over full sun.  You may also want to test your soil’s pH balance before planting your seeds. This plant prefers neutral soil, with a rating of six to eight.

Echinacea bloom from June to October.  And oh yes, they attract the most beautiful of butterflies!  Even if you don’t use the plant for health reasons, its presence in your garden lifts your spirit when you watch the butterflies hover around it!