well first of all, I'm not sure I've spelled it right, but it's also known as coneflower, and it's used to fight colds, and build the immune system. I just bought a plant for my herb garden, but I'm not too sure how to go about using it.  do I use the flowers or the leaves? and could I boil it into a tea? that sounds like the best option to me.... but I'm just not sure, so I was wondering if anyone had advice on this wonderful plant.

Information on echinacea is easy to find, once you get the spelling down Please be sure to research effect and possible side effects relating to your own personal circumstances.

From my own experience: I'm just starting to grow and dry my own herbs, but I've used echinacea for a long time to help fight colds and boost the immune system. When the first tinge of a cold comes on (like, in the evening when my ears itch on the inside for my throat gets an uncomfortable tingle to it...you know what I'm talking about), I make echinacea tea from the dried herb and drink it 3 times a day with vitamin C supplements or orange juice. (My own personal cold tea mixes echinacea with chamomile for comfort, white willow and yarrow for aches, peppermint to brighten up the yarrow, and valerian to knock me the **** out.)

Hi Kathartica

We have various articles of echinacea here at the castle, if you check the BOS we have info on growing, and harvesting the herb along with recipes. Just do a "Search" on the sidebar and see what comes up. I love echinacea and it tends to proliferate very well...and it is so pretty to have bloom...that along with the butterflies it draws and you have a very valuable plant indeed!