Echinacea

Echinacea is a genus of herbaceous flowering perennials in the daisy family Asteraceae, comprising ten species commonly called coneflowers, native only to eastern and central North America, where they grow in wet to dry prairies and open wooded areas. The genus name derives from the Greek word for hedgehog, referencing the spiny central disk of its large, showy composite flower heads, which bloom in summer. Indigenous peoples historically used echinacea for various health purposes, and it later gained popularity in Western herbal remedies, especially for colds, though modern research shows weak or inconclusive evidence of effectiveness and no regulatory authority has approved echinacea products for medical use; two species, Echinacea tennesseensis and Echinacea laevigata, have faced endangerment from habitat loss and overharvesting.