 Echinacea, Purpura, Purple, Coneflower. These plants are native to North America. The Indians use them as a medicine. It's a common ornamental plant, people plant it because it makes it pretty flower. We've had drought conditions here lately, so mine are beginning to turn brown. We're in the middle of July here, or the end of July here in Missouri. I planted these Echinacea plants about six or eight years ago, at least. One thing I like about Echinacea is they keep coming back. You don't have to plant them every year as a perennial, so they come back and also propagate. They spread by seeds. As a result of these that I've planted here, every now and then I find Echinacea growing other parts of my yard. Take this one over here as a volunteer, Cone, Purple, Coneflower. There are several varieties of Echinacea. All of them that I know have medicinal value. You use the root for the medicine. It is an immune system herb. It supports the immune system. Echinacea is also a good plant at attracting bees, pollinators. It also attracts birds who like their seeds, so it attracts beneficial insects to your garden. The most useful part of the plant for herbal use is the root. The root has to be at least three or four years old to use it, so if you want to use Echinacea as a medicine, you better get it planted now because it has to grow for several years. You harvest the root in the fall and you dry the root. I don't have time here to go into all the uses of Echinacea because they are many. You can actually even use it externally for eczema psoriasis, but it is most widely known as an immune system herb. It supports the immune system. It doesn't have a strong antibiotic effect like garlic does. The way that it actually works is by making, it's an immune system modulator. It makes your immune system work more efficiently. There's been a lot of medical research proving this. I recommend that you look it up, find out what the many uses for Echinacea are. It is a beautiful plant. As you can see, it flowers over the entire, just about the entire summer and fall, so it is a great plant to grow in your yard. If you're going to grow plants in your yard, you might as well grow something that you can use as a medicine someday. You might need it. It is most commonly used to combat flu and colds. It's not recommended that you take Echinacea more than about two months continuously. It won't hurt you to do that, but the problem is they claim that it will lose its effectiveness if you use it continuously. I'd recommend you use it only for about two months. Use it when you need it, but if you start taking Echinacea root at the onset of a cold or flu, it helps your immune system to fight it off more quickly. All of the plant can be used, but the root is the part that is strongest in its herbal medicinal value. This is Survival Doc reminding you to be prepared or be prepared to be pleased.