echinacea

American  

[ek-uh-ney-shuh, -see-uh] / ˌɛk əˈneɪ ʃə, -si ə /

noun

1. any of several coneflowers of the genus Echinacea whose leaves, roots, and other parts are used in herbal medicine to promote wound healing and enhance the immune system.

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echinacea British  

/ ˌɛkɪˈneɪʃɪə /

noun

1. Also called: purple coneflower.  either of the two N American plants of the genus Echinacea, having flower heads with purple rays and black centres: family Compositae (composites) See coneflower

2. the powdered root of either of these plants, used to stimulate the immune system

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Etymology

Origin of echinacea

First recorded in 1825–30; from New Latin Echīnācea, genus name, from Latin echīnus “sea urchin,” from Greek echînos “hedgehog, sea urchin, a kind of plant” + -acea ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

echinacea

I started off pretty skeptical about echinacea, but actually, I’m an author on studies showing that echinacea reduces antibiotic usage by about 70 percent in children if they use it as a prophylaxis.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2025

She also says echinacea, turmeric and ginger shots are not going to give you an immune boost.

From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025

On Thursday, the agency definitively quashed that idea by rejecting petitions from three groups that had asked the F.D.A. to regulate CBD products the way it oversees dietary ingredients like caffeine, ginseng and echinacea.

From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2023

He went on to list some of the supplements that haven’t shown benefits in trials: turmeric, St. John’s wort, ginkgo, echinacea.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 24, 2020

When Mother couldn’t get the swelling down with echinacea and calendula, Dad suggested his own remedy.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover