Having an Echinacia plant is great - fresh herb available to help bolster your immune system against bacterial and viral infections. If you know what species you have then you're even better off since you can use the flowers of Echinacea purpurea. Otherwise, the roots of the three species of echinacia are the parts used for medicinal remedies.
You may use fresh or dried root or flowers, modifying the measurements accordingly. Making a decoction with the root is one of the simplest ways of ingesting the herb - a standard quantity would be 20 grams dried herb, or 40 grams fresh, per 3 cups of cold water. Simmer down to 2 cups which should be alloted into 3-4 doses taken in a day.
The flowers can be used for an infusion, using 1 tsp dried or 2 tsp fresh herb per 1 cup of boiling water. Infuse for 10 minutes. This is one dose.
Take a remedy until symptoms disappear, but after 2-3 weeks or if your condition worsens, Seek professional help both in the form of a conventional doctor and a naturopath.
Yup, it's true. Common sense and research are important for taking control of your own health and self medicating with herbal remedies. Use the same thought processes you would if you were taking over-the-counter cold medicines or even doctor's prescriptions. Pay attention to your body - any allergic reactions? What other medications are you taking that may interact with an herbal remedy? Prolonged usage could make the remedy less effective, also.
> Okay - so I have an echinacea plant - what do I need
> to do with it? How much should I steep? What is the
> water / plant ratio? Should I use root / stem / leaves
> / flowers? Should they be fresh or dried. So many
> questions, but meddling can be a dangerous thing
> unless you have good info. Many thanks for your
> anticipated responses